Fate
by YarningChick
Summary: What if the Cat Bureau wasn't there when Haru needed help?  What may have happened if she had to escape the Cat Kingdom on her own.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Are you sure about these directions, Baron? I'm not seeing anything from here." An almost ridiculously large cat had to shout to be heard over the wind, being carried to an extraordinary height by a giant crow. The slight figure riding the crow's back answered, keeping a firm grip on the dark feathers.

"The directions were specific enough, Muta. We should be seeing the entrance momentarily."

"How did they mention that the entrance moved so drastically? Muta never could have survived coming out of here if the entrance was up here last time."

"Watch it, Bird brain!"

"Don't give me the bird brain thing again or I might 'accidentally' drop you."

"Could you two fight when we're not on business?" It will be hard enough to help the Cat King if he didn't have to muzzle his two friends first. The scolding worked, for now, and Toto gave a caw of triumph.

"I see the entrance!" True enough, part of a tower could be seen, the rim submerged in the clouds. Flying directly over the top, the crow dropped the white cat he had been holding in his claws.

"Aaugh!" Muta shrieked as he fell through the hole.

"That was a bit rude, Toto." The orange cat on the crow's back slipped off and stood on the rim.

"I told him not to try the bird brain thing." The cat-figure sighed.

"Are you coming in?"

"I'll pass for now, but call if you need me."

"Will do." The light-suited cat slipped down the hole, finding himself at the top of a long staircase. Sighing, he ran down the stairs to where the white cat had landed, resembling a flattened marshmallow.

"I'll pluck out all that chicken's feathers for this," he grumbled as he unsteadily rose to his hind legs. He stared at the open space around him as his friend came down the last steps.

"Something wrong, Muta?"

"Yeah, this tower used to be a lot taller." Walking out of the enclosure, they could see construction still going on by cat workers carrying away large boulders and making repairs to what appeared to be a giant labyrinth, the ground beneath their feet was thick with coarse rocks. This looked like an old work in progress. "The maze is new, too."

"Excuse me; are either of you Baron from the Cat Office?" The two cats turned to see another one, a mixture of light and dark brown fur with red marks over his cheeks. The orange cat tipped his top hat in acknowledgement.

"I am. How may I be of service?"

"I'm Natoru, and I'm here to escort you and your fat friend to the palace."

"What?! Fat!?" Muta raised one paw to hit the brown intruder, but Baron slipped in front of him.

"Then by all means, escort us."

"This way, please." Natoru guided them around the construction site and into an impressive stone castle. The brown cat waved cheerily at the guards, who opened the enormous doors. As they passed through them, Baron couldn't help but notice that the guards were glaring at him.

_What was that about?_

The cat led them through a few hallways and sets of stairs, all lined with red curtains instead of doors, which appeared to be a rarity here. Natoru eventually pulled open a curtain to reveal an impressive study, with one dark gray cat sitting at a huge desk, staring intently at the map laid out before him.

"Your Majesty, the Cat Bureau has arrived!" Natoru announced importantly. The cat looked up, relief evident in his handsome face, his mismatched eyes brightening.

"Thank you, Natoru. That will be all for now." The brown cat bowed low and exited. The Cat King walked out from behind his desk to shake paws. "Thank heaven you got the message! I don't have a clue on where to start!"

"The beginning would be helpful." The king waved the two cats to the chairs on the other end of the desk, and began his tale as Baron placed his hat aside.

"Well, the trouble started about a month ago. I have a second cousin who has his eye on the throne, and he's willing to drown the kingdom in blood to get it. He's been recruiting cats from everywhere and assembling an army. I thought we could handle them, with the new training program that my army's on, but there have been a few personal attacks on the castle, and I thought it would be prudent to drop the Bureau a line."

"Did this cousin blow up the portal tower? It was a lot taller last time I came here." The king looked up at Muta, amusement evident on his face.

"Oh, no. My father did that shortly before abdicating the throne to me. It's a rather interesting story, but not one that I can afford to repeat right now." A shout of pain came through the window, making the two cats jump out of their chairs, posed for an attack. The king laughs at their antics.

"Don't worry; that's just my war general drilling the new recruits. Her methods are pretty direct."

"Her?"

"Yes, she has greatly improved the quality of my army since coming into the service. She has the most interesting ideas about how to fend off a rebellion." Muta walked over to the window to get a look at the general and freezes, his mouth agape.

"Not what you were expecting, I take it?" The king's mood had greatly improved since the two had entered his study. Baron, curious as to what could make Muta nervous, also walks over to the window. He also froze, to the point where he thought that he might have accidentally changed back to wood, his heart unmoving in his chest.

On the field before them, one figure was criss-crossing in front of a group of green adolescent cats, showing them a fighting routine. No one could have ever denied that the cat in front of the group was a female, with a tight black military uniform that hugged her curves. Curves which by right, should never be on a cat, but were more akin to a human woman's body.

She was a light brown shorthair, except around the ears, where a gloriously long braid of dark chocolate trailed around the girl, moving in time with her body like a second tail, the first being the same color as her medium brown ears. She was twirling around a quarter staff with ease, her movements as smooth as a fish in water. Baron could see that she had fingers that gripped her staff with just the right amount of pressure. After a few more seconds of flipping in the air, she landed perfectly on her feet.

"All right guys, your turn! Show me you have what it takes!" A groan came from the group, but they separated into pairs to start sparring. She started walking between them, correcting their stances and dropping hints about their techniques.

"What did you say her name was?" Muta asked, his face pale beneath the white fur. Lune grinned at them.

"I didn't, but her name is Haru Yoshioka." Muta paled even further, and he looked again at the young lady, who had apparently found one exceptional fighter in the bunch.

"That was very nice, Jin! Please demonstrate that for me again." She raised her quarter staff in anticipation, and the green cat cowered.

"Come on. If you can't handle a confrontation with me, than we painted you green for no reason. Do you want to return home in shame?" This caused the cat to straighten, and he raised his own pole and charged her. She smoothly jumped over his head and swiped at his feet. He jumped just in time, and twirled in the air before bringing down the staff hard. Baron was already on the windowsill when Haru rolled away from the blow and held her opponent's arms behind him, his face in the ground.

"That was well done, Jin! I hope all of you were paying attention to how he twisted his legs in the air, that's a must if you want to have the proper force to take down an enemy." The other cats nodded shakingly, and they resumed the regular training.

"Baron, will you please get down from there?" The orange cat turned to face the king.

"She could have gotten killed!"

"I would be impressed if any of the recruits down there could take her down. You don't need to worry about Haru; she's proven that she can take care of herself." Baron leapt off of the windowpane to face the king.

"How long has she been your war general?"

"About a year, but she's been training my army since she moved here six years ago."

"Where did she learn to fight like that?"

"Well, she really liked kung fu movies before coming here, and she's been getting ideas from the library."

"So she has no formal training?"

"None whatsoever. Impressive for an amateur, isn't she?" Baron nodded, his eyes trailing back to the window, where Muta was still keeping his vigil, his eyes glazing over.

"Haru…" the large cat whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Just what is going on here? There is no way that your war general is a regular cat!" Baron was unconsciously rubbing his fingers together, thinking about how Haru's had wrapped around her staff. '_I have never seen such a fetching lady…'_

"You're right, she isn't. She used to be a human, but a slight misunderstanding with my father led her to this state of body and mind." Muta broke free from his trance and stomped over to the king's desk.

"Just tell us what happened!" Natoru rushed in, looking worried, but Lune shooed him out the curtain again.

"I can see that you won't pay attention to business until you hear the story. Well, some years back, while Haru was still a human, she saved me when I visited the human world to pick up something special. My father must have been keeping tabs of me, since I didn't have an opportunity to tell him what happened before I had to leave on official business. I'm gone for about a day when I get an urgent message from my girlfriend, telling me that my father, who was king at the time, had kidnapped Haru to be my bride."

"What?!" Muta looked really angry, his eyes contracting into slits.

"Relax, I already told you, I had a girlfriend, and I proposed to her as soon as I came back. Anyway, Haru was a bit scared that this was happening to her, and tried to run for the portal to return before she became a cat permanently. She managed to get out just in time to keep her hands and figure, but the rest of her stayed a cat. She was really distressed at the time, so we offered her a home here, since she couldn't exactly finish high school as a cat-girl. I found out later that she had saved my Yuki's life as a kid, so we owed her big time."

The curtain rustled again. Baron turned, expecting to see Natoru again. Instead, he found an adorable little kitten. She had snow white fur, except for her dark paws, and had the same red and blue eyes as the king.

"Are you telling her story again, Daddy? I want to hear it too!" The king chuckled, and held his arms out to her. She eagerly ran into them, purring.

"Haru, I thought I asked you not to bother me while I'm in my study; I have to do king's work, sweetheart."

"Then, can I watch Big Sister beat up the new guards?"

"Did you say Haru?" The king looked up at Baron and grinned.

"I named my daughter after her. We really couldn't think of a better name than the one that saved her parents. Yes honey, you can watch your big sister beat up the new guards, but take Natoru with you."

"Okay!" She hopped off his lap and dragged Natoru away from the curtain.

"Be sure to stay far from the training!"

"Yes, Daddy!" Her voice was already fading down the corridor.

"What does she mean by 'big sister?" Muta asked suspiciously.

"I adopted Lady Haru as a royal ward after I ascended the throne, so they are sort of sisters, but she's also my daughter's godmother, so they are pretty close." Lune turned to face Baron again, but he was right next to the window, putting on his hat and gripping his cane.

"Are you leaving, Baron? I was hoping that-"

"I'm not leaving. I just wish to test your war general." Then he stepped onto the windowsill again.

"That's right guys, keep the muscles moving!" Haru was clapping her hands in time with the erythematic beating of the wooden staffs. They have already greatly improved since their last practice. Her heart warmed at how many hours they must have worked.

_Poor Lune._ He's been working himself to death over this idiotic rebellion, and she couldn't do much to help him. It's true, she never wanted to marry him, but he had become the brother she had never had. He's been so good to her, these past years…

"Baron, don't!" A sharp voice from above her head brought her back to reality, and she whirled around on instinct, her staff rising just in time to meet…a cane? She looked at her new opponent's face, and was startled by the intense green flowing from his eyes. Breaking from him, her staff still ready for an attack, she got a good look at this cat. He was perfectly dressed in a light suit, complete with a top hat, orange fur glistening in the sun. She laughed lightly.

"Sorry sir, we have a strict dress code if you want to join the king's army. Green or no entrance!" He grinned at her.

"That's all right; I just wanted to see how good you are with your stick against me and mine." He waved his cane around jokingly. She smiled at him and met his challenge.

The new guards stared in amazement as their teacher and this intruder circled each other perfectly, and moved in for the attack. The two moved around, cracking their sticks at each other, so fast that the guards had a hard time following what was happening. After a few minutes, the orange figure gave a harder crack, forcing Haru to drop her staff, and he swiped her legs from underneath her at the same time, forcing her to fall over. Baron swept her staff out of reach and grinned at her again, struggling to regain her breath.

"Are you sure you've received no formal training? Most professionals I've known can't pull what you did." She grinned back at him, and then faced the group of recruits, her breath returning slowly.

"I hope all of you were paying attention to this gentleman's technique, because I expect each of you to be able to duplicate one of his moves by next practice. Dismissed!"

The green cats stood still in fear for a moment. General Haru hadn't lost a fight since before she moved to the Cat Kingdom, so this cat… He gave them a meaningful look, and they scattered like frightened kittens. Haru sat up and rubbed her bruised arm.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" She looked up at him, and was surprised at the genuine concern in his eyes. She laughed lightly.

"No, I'm used to taking beatings." He held out a paw to help her up, which she accepted. Looking more closely at it, she realized that he had gloved hands like hers, even though her gloves were tough black mouse leather, and his seemed to be plain white cotton.

"Did you get caught here too?"

"No, I'm here to help the king with the rebellion."

"Oh, good. You must be my replacement."

"Beg pardon?"

"I've been trying to tell Lune that I don't have the experience needed in order to properly train his army, so-"

"Big Sister!" Haru turned to see the little kitten from before rushing toward them. Haru leaned down to embrace her.

"Did he hurt you? How did he beat me down here? He was just talking to Daddy in his study." Haru looked up towards the window, where she could see Lune and another cat, a huge one that hurriedly dodged behind the curtain in a vain attempt to escape her notice.

"A large white cat," Haru said softly, cradling the princess in her arms, her eyes lost in memories. She looked again at the orange cat beside her.

"This is just a guess, but would you happen to be from the Cat Bureau?"

"I'm the owner and proprietor, yes." He seemed pleased that she had heard of him. Smiling again, the war general shifted the princess to one hip and stuck out her hand in a greeting.

"It's nice to finally meet you. I thought you had gone out of business years ago."

"What would make you think that?" Haru was thrown off balance when he bowed and kissed her hand instead of shaking it. Blushing slightly, she shook her head to clear her thoughts and explained.

"Well, I tried to contact your office for help a few years back, but I never found the large white cat at the Crossroads, so I had to make a new plan." Baron looked up sharply into her eyes, a dawning realization in his eyes as he released her hand.

"But the only time that Muta's missed a day at the Crossroads was almost six years ago."

"You mean I had just missed him? Huh, that figures."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Look, its okay!" Haru was trying to comfort Baron, who was facing a nearby tree, blue anime depression marks surrounding him like a hole of darkness.

"Why? The one time we're gone, a potential client shows up?"

"I figured you guys went out of business or were helping someone else!"

"That's what we thought too. My associates and I were investigating a cry for help from China, but when we got there, no one needed it."

"So it was a prank call?"

"Unfortunately. We were in a pretty foul mood when we came back, but now, knowing that we could have helped someone that really needed it." He hung his head lower, his ears falling over. Haru walked over to him and gripped his shoulder.

"I told you, its okay! I'm fine with how my life turned out, and nothing really says that I would have kept my humanity if you had been able to help me."

"We could have at least tried!" She sighed, and turned him to face her.

"Repeat after me; it's not my fault." Baron was about to do as she said, but got a better idea.

"It's not your fault."

"Right-no, wait. _You're_ supposed to say that it's not _my_ fault."

"I just did."

"No, you said it wasn't my fault, but it is, well, it isn't completely. We're not talking about me-" Right here, she noticed that he was silently laughing at her, caught the joke, and started giggling. They laughed pretty hard for a few seconds.

"Big Sister?" Haru wiped a tear from her eye to answer the kitten on her hip.

"Don't worry, Sweet Pea. That was a pretty good joke, Mr. …?"

"Gikkingen. Baron Humbert von Gikkingen. He placed his top hat over his heart and held his cane behind his back in a gentlemanly greeting. Haru was relieved that he had recovered from his depression. She bowed to him Japanese style.

"I'm Haru Yoshioka, and this is Princess Haru."

"I already saw him in Daddy's study. How did you beat me down here?" Baron smiled at the kitten and pointedly looked at the window that King Lune was observing them through.

"You're kidding." Baron grinned at the war general and shook his head.

"That window's on the third floor, you could have gotten killed!"

"I'm a little harder to kill than that, being a Creation."

"Creation?"

"Yes. Whenever someone creates something with all their hopes and dreams, the object is given a soul."

"Oh, I guess that explains your scent."

"Pardon?"

"You smell like my cedar chest back in the human world. And tea. The tea scent is a bit stronger."

"Not surprising, since I experiment with different blends while waiting for clients."

"Really? I play around with blends too! Cats don't like tea, except for catnip-flavored, so I can't exactly run to a store for teabags."

"I can understand. Muta says that it tastes like boiled grass to him."

"Baron, you can get acquainted with my general later; right now I need you both back up here!" Lune had to shout, leaning halfway out his window, his white companion out of sight.

"Coming!" Haru gave the princess to Natoru and headed inside, Baron close on her heels with both sticks in hand. The guards in the corridors would have given him cold glares again, but one look from the general made them mind.

"I guess me not being able to help you is why the security isn't too fond of me?" he asked as he passed her the staff.

"If you think that they're bad, you obviously hadn't met the queen yet. It's sweet that she can stay angry for me this long, but enough is enough! I never blamed the Bureau for what happened to me, but Yuki's convinced that I would have been able to return to my former life if you had been there." She immediately regretted her words. Baron looked down, his ears falling again. She tried to think of something to say before the blue lines made a second appearance.

"But hey, enough with the past! We need to about the future!" He pulled the curtain and stepped aside for her to enter first. "Thank you. What do we need to focus on next, with the Cat Bureau here?" Lune answered from behind the desk, motioning them forward.

"Diversionary tactics would be a good start."

"Is he usually like that?" Haru questioned Baron as they exited the king's study.

"Who?"

"Your friend. You said his name was Muta?" The large cat had sneaked out while the other three were bent over the Cat Kingdom map.

"That's right, but to tell you the truth, I've never seen him stay quiet for so long. It was like he was trying to disappear."

"Strange."

"Big Sister!" A white ball of fluff appeared from behind a curtain and threw itself at the war general, who caught the ball easily.

"Hi, Sweet Pea. Excited about anything in particular?"

"Mommy said that if you didn't mind, I could come over to your place when you finished talking with Daddy." Baron looked at Haru with surprise.

"You don't live at the Palace?"

"I used to, but Lune had a small house built for me so I could have some privacy. Of course you can come with me, Sweet Pea. I'll even make fish pancakes."

"Yay!" The kitten wrapped her short arms around the cat-woman's neck and kissed her cheek.

"She really likes them," she managed to say to Baron around the kitten's head. "Or at least likes to watch me flip them in the air."

"Mind if I tag along? I'm not quite sure what to do with myself, on off hours here."

"Sure, no problem." As they walked through the cattails towards a group of trees, slitted eyes watched their departure.

"Baron…" Muta growled angrily.

"Can we do one-two-three?" Little Haru's eyes were wide and hopeful. Baron turned to the elder in confusion.

"She wants us to swing her around on the count of three."

"Ah. Certainly." The war general released the princess, who used her paws to grab at her two companions' hands. Walking forward, the kitten counted.

"One, two, threee!" On the count of three, Haru swung her side of the kitten higher than Baron did, who corrected his mistake on the next round. Little Haru squealed with delight every time she was swung to her companions' eye level, and they repeated this until passing through a solid white fence leading to the step stones of a charming cottage. The general snuck a peak into her red mailbox as they passed the fence, but looked away in disappointment when she saw it was empty.

Haru's home was painted a cheerful yellow, and Baron could see several hours of work in the flower patches and herb rows on the sides of the house.

"So this is your place?"

"Yeah, it took Lune about six months to get done, since the workers kept taking naps on the clock." Pulling at a long chain around her neck, Haru produced a key and let them in. Her main room was comfy and clean, with tasteful furniture and a single table. In a corner, Baron could see a collapsible frame with a blue and red quilt pulled taut and rolled half-way. Haru had placed her staff next to a coat rack and hung up her military jacket, revealing a white tunic-style shirt underneath. Baron hung his hat and coat as Haru strolls to the kitchen in the back. She pulled some dry mixture from the cupboard as the kitten expertly opened up an old-fashioned fridge to forage around for milk.

"Would you like some tea, Baron?" Haru still had the cupboard open, her hand frozen inside as she waited for his answer.

"Never been one to turn tea down." She lifted a flowered tea set gently out of the cupboard and placed it on the counter before her ears perked up.

"Haru?" She put one finger to her lips, and stealthily slipped back to the front door while grabbing her staff. Baron's eyes narrowed, also hearing the noise. The princess knew her sister meant business when she got _that_ look in her eyes, and crawled underneath the couch.

Now joined by Baron at the door, Haru reached her hand slowly toward the doorknob. Twisting it fast, she threw open the door, making the large cat leaning against it fall onto her floor. Her companion was surprised.

"Muta? What are you doing here?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The fat cat had the grace to look sheepish as he got back on his hind legs.

"Baron and I work as a team, so I followed."

"I would have let you in if you had knocked. It's safe to come out, Sweet Pea." The kitten wiggled out from underneath the sofa and looked at Muta.

"Hi again." The white cat looked at the elder Haru in surprise.

"Are you sure about bringing the princess away from the castle walls? She's a pretty easy target."

"Not true!" Little Haru piped up. "Mommy says that the safest place in the whole kingdom is with Big Sister, 'cause most cats are too scared to come within ten feet of her; let alone attacking." The two males looked at the brown half-cat, who shrugged.

"I've got a bit of a reputation, which proves useful, most of the time." She set down the staff again and headed back to the kitchenette. "Would you do the tea, Baron?"

"Certainly." Muta glared as the figurine made himself at home with the girl's appliances, setting the teapot full of fresh water on top of the small stove. The two Harus got busy separately mixing the wet and dry ingredients. After a while, Muta started to take careful notice of how much of what they were putting into the bowls.

"Are you making salmon pancakes?" The elder girl nodded as the smaller one combined the wet and dry contents into one bowl.

"I found a pretty good recipe in Mom's attic, which is strange, considering that she's a strict vegetarian." Muta looked into the half-full bowl, his eyes glazing over.

"You're missing an ingredient."

"I know, Mom caught me going through her boxes of meat cookbooks and gave them away to charity before I could copy down the whole list. They're still good without the last thing, but I've never-"

"Squirt of lemon." The general turned to him.

"Excuse me?"

"Try a small splash of lemon juice right before putting the batter in the pan. It will make the difference between good and great." Haru stared at the large cat while the smaller one fished around the fridge.

"Found it, squeezed fresh from the day before yesterday! Should we try it?" She waved around a small capped bottle. The elder Haru broke from her trance and did as the white cat suggested. Soon, a delicious fragrance began to rise from the baking fluff. "Can we flip it yet?" The princess asked eagerly, trying to see from the chair she had scooted to next to the stove, her eyes bright with anticipation. Baron, waiting for the water to boil, had taken a seat in one of the two chairs next to the small table, watching the half-cat's movements.

"Almost." Muta had retreated to the green couch, lounging on it while he watched the general delicately pick up the pan and take a step back from the stove for clearance.

"How high can you flip them?" The large cat asked casually.

"I don't know; the ceiling prevents me from finding out." The kitten giggled.

"One time, she flipped it so high that it got stuck on the ceiling for a few seconds, and we had to scrape off the mess."

"Well, if you hadn't been egging me on, I wouldn't have done it."

"You let a little kitten bully you?" Baron seemed rather amused.

"Take a good look at her face and tell me that she couldn't persuade you to do something silly." Haru shook the pan, loosening the pancake before giving the pan an upward thrust, making the half-baked disc fly into the air and sail gracefully back into the pan, wet side down.

"Two flips? Not bad." Haru grinned back at Muta, who was watching her with amusement.

"Why thank you."

"Haru!" The sharp voice echoed through the room, almost making the general drop the pan. Placing it back on the stove, she grabbed a bronze horn that had been resting above the fridge. She started talking into the smaller end.

"What is it, Lune?"

"There's an attack on the castle, I need your help now!" The shout echoed through the larger end of the instrument. Baron leapt of the chair and grabbed his things from the coat rack as Muta headed for the door.

"We'll be right there!" She was about to toss the horn back to its resting place when it spoke again.

"Wait. Is the Cat Bureau with you and my daughter?"

"They're almost out the door."

"On second thought, please stay where you are; protect the princess and let the Cat Bureau handle the castle. I'm counting on you, Haru." Her shoulders fell as the Bureau looked back at her.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I believe I've told you what I'd do if you called me that ever again."

"Focus on the rebels, I'll keep Haru safe." She nodded at Baron, who returned her action and ran with Muta at top speed toward the castle. She swiftly bolted the door behind them and turned to the kitten, the teapot hissing on the stove.

"Shall we?"

In all, the attack was a minimal one, almost scattering before the Bureau even approached. This time, the guards seemed glad to see him.

"See the guy in the suit?! He took down General Haru in under five minutes!" The rebels, painted black with red streaks, gaped at Baron as he and Muta closed in. Two minutes later, the rebels that could still run were deserting the castle, while the casualties were dumped into the cavern-like dungeon. Lune approached Baron and gratefully shook his hand while Muta dumped the last ones down the hole.

"Thank you for your help; I don't know what we would have done without you and Muta. Haru's good, but she hasn't figured out how to be in two places at once quite yet."

"At least the Bureau came this time." Baron turned, seeing a stunning white cat with a blue ribbon around her neck. Although the look of anger had faded from her eyes, Baron could see what Haru meant by the queen holding a grudge. "Where's my daughter?"

"With the general. She was a bit put out by staying behind." Lune chuckled.

"I could tell, with the majesty comment. She only does that when she gets really annoyed with me." He approached the last of the rebels, held firmly in place by two guards. "Where is Artemis?" The rebel managed a smirk.

"What makes you think I'll tell?" Muta walked behind him and firmly grabbed his tail.

"Need I bother with explanations?" the large white cat asked as he started twisting the tail slowly, making the rebel wince, and then cry out.

"I don't know, okay? He always moves his base after an attack, so that squealers can't betray him!" The king cocked his head to one side.

"Wasn't this a bit risky? Trying to take the castle with only 50 of you?" The rebel managed a rather evil smile.

"Who said we were after the castle?" The king absorbed this for a moment, and understood.

"A diversion? From what?" The queen gasped.

"Haru!" The rebel's smile deepened in confirmation. The guards tossed him down the dungeon opening before following the monarchs, mere steps behind the Bureau, who ran back through the side path in the tall cat-tails, towards a group of trees in the distance, smoke beginning to billow between them.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Before even arriving in sight of the small cottage, they could hear the screams of battle. Some black and red rebels were fleeing the battle, nursing broken arms and tails while a number of them decorated the field. Looking closely, Baron could see the major battle centering in one point, circling like an eye of a hurricane around a lone warrior.

Haru had lost her staff, and had stolen one of the swords of the slain to hack away at the endless number of cats coming at her. Clearly visible, even from this distance, were several lines of bright red on her ripped shirt. Baron dropped his cane in favor of another sword lying next to a soldier while Muta began to beat the cats out of the way with his paws and body weight. The cat doll called out to the general.

"Hold on, Haru!" She didn't bother to look up, but an undeniable grin lit up her face as she took down two more cats. Within minutes, both members of the Bureau had worked their way to her, and the cyclone had been reduced to a swirling breeze of darkness, then faded to nothing as the last of the rebels fell. Dropping her sword, Haru balanced one hand on her knee and breathed unsteadily, her other one limp at her side. Baron touched her shoulder as the king and queen approached. "Haru, are you alright?" Up close, Baron could see that some of the slashes on her arms and back were bleeding profusely. Even her pants were cut and stained in several places. She nodded at him, her expression grave.

"Where's our daughter?" Haru looked up, noting the looks of pure panic on her rulers' faces as they watched the remains of her home collapse to the ground.

"Don't worry; the enemy didn't know she was here." Haru walked up to a sycamore tree that was at the side of her burned home, and circled it until she found an unusual carving of a bird high in the branches. Carefully positioning herself underneath the mark, she took long measured steps, counting carefully to herself.

"Haru…" The queen was losing her patience.

"Just trust me, Yuki." Coming to a sudden stop, the general looked straight down and grinned. She brought down her foot sharply at a slight indent in the ground, causing it to shudder, and give away. Her companions looked on with surprise as she lowered herself to the ground, and looked inside the hole.

"Sweet Pea, can you hear me?" A familiar voice answered her from within.

"Yeah! The plan worked perfectly!"

"Plan?" Lune didn't want to believe that Haru would bury his daughter. She reached into the hole with one hand and paused.

"Hold it. Does anyone have a handkerchief or something?" Baron walked up to her, pulling one from the breast pocket of his jacket. Haru gratefully took it. "Thanks. Sweet Pea, I want you to tie this around your eyes."

"Did you beat them up bad?"

"Yes, and I don't want you scarred for life when you come up here." A tiny gray paw reached up and took the handkerchief from the extended hand. Haru waited another moment before reaching down again, and pulled up the crown princess, covered in dirt with the handkerchief tied firmly around her eyes. Her relieved parents took her immediately, hugging and kissing her.

"Sweetheart, we were so worried!" Yuki was struggling through tears.

"You didn't need to! I used the escape tunnel that Big Sister and I made last year just in case I needed to get away from the fighting." The king laughed joyously, holding his wife and child close to him.

"I guess that explains why you needed so many baths. Brilliant job, Haru!" His general nodded once, her expression still grave.

"If the castle is cleaned up, we better head back. It's not prudent to have the whole royal family out here in the open."

"Haru, we've got you and the Bureau here. But you do have a good point." The king started to walk back to the castle with his family. Muta stopped them.

"What about Haru? Her house got burned to the ground, and she looks like she was put through a cheese grater!"

"It's fine, Mutaaaa!" The royal family and white cat turned sharply, seeing that the orange cat had swept the bleeding girl off her feet and into his arms, her limp one now resting on her stomach. "Baron, what are you doing? I can walk."

"Not with those cuts. The less you move, the better." He walked calmly past the flabbergasted cats.

"I'll stain your clothes."

"I can replace _them_." He looked into her eyes, making her blush.

'_Is he flirting with me?'_ Behind them, Muta glared at Baron again, claws extending at his sides as he struggled not to make a scene.

"I'm sorry about your house, Haru. I'll build you a new one when I can." Lune felt guilty, almost leaving her the way he had, after he had his daughter safely in hand. The other cats had caught up the fast-paced Baron and almost had to run to keep up with his long strides.

"Please, don't worry about it until after Artemis is taken care of. My greatest treasure made it out anyway, so I can handle losing the rest." The princess giggled, knowing what her sister meant.

"True enough. We'll have to get the seamstresses working on a new wardrobe for you while you recover from your wounds."

"Please Yuki, you're acting like this is the first time my body's been used as a scratching post." Baron had been wondering why she was taking him touching the cuts on her back so well.

"Was Artemis here?" Haru's caramel eyes darkened, and the cat holding her could have almost sworn to seeing lightning bolts in her slitted pupils.

"He was."

"If he didn't know my daughter was in the house, what did he want with you?" The young cat-woman clenched her fists, her eyes threatening to rain as well as thunder.

"He wanted to discuss an inappropriate business proposition." Lune stopped in his tracks, the others slowing to look back at him.

"He proposed to you _again_?!"

"Among other things. It's a little disheartening, knowing that he started a rebellion to have a chance for his tongue to go down my throat."

"That's what this is about? I thought he wanted the throne."

"He does, and he wants me to help him occupy it by training his people instead of yours and becoming his queen after all of you were killed. I was busy giving him my answer when you guys came in the nick of time. His rebels are well-trained, and I was fading fast." The King cocked his head at her.

"Really? You looked like you could take down cats all day!"

"I was bluffing." Haru had finally relaxed in Baron's arms, but was still trying not to think about how comfortable they were, swaying her gently with every step.

'_I wonder if he has a girlfriend.'_ Surprised by this thought, she shook her head slightly and focused on the approaching front gate of the castle, which were immediately opened for the royal family and co. as the king shook his head.

"Just what is it with members of my family hitting on you?" His general shrugged.

"I don't know, but I'm grateful you haven't been doing it."

"So am I," the queen muttered, removing the blindfold from her daughter's eyes and returning it to Baron. Haru grabbed it instead and stuffed it back into the breast pocket, since his arms were full of her. She suddenly withdrew her hand, blushing at her forwardness. The cat holding her smiled, apparently not minding in the least.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The guards in the various hallways stared at Baron, cradling their bleeding general as the king led them to the infirmary. The brown cat from before approached them, noting with relief that the royal family was safe.

"Natoru, send a squad or two to clean up Haru's field."

"Yes, sire." He scampered off. When they entered, the old cat doctor took one look at the bleeding girl and grinned.

"I'd appreciate your frequent visits more if you didn't need my help each time, General." She smiled fondly back at him.

"Look at it this way, Polo; I'm putting Saka and Sango through that fancy medical school for you." The doctor laughed.

"True. This way, please." The group followed Dr. Polo to the back, passing surprisingly few patients, all sporting green fur.

"Hey, General! They ran like cowards!" Haru returned the bright smile as she passed the speaker's bed.

"I'm so proud." All of the wounded purred at the praise.

"It was a small attack anyway," the king said, deflating all the patients' egos. Polo pulled aside a curtain in the back, revealing a lone cot, with a light grey attendant at the foot of it, arranging a small box of medication on her lap.

"Saka, we need a red light on the general, with a code blue on the wounds, in case those cats lined their swords with something fun again."

"She's been favoring her left arm too." Baron gently laid Haru on the cot. Just like she feared, his suit jacket was now decorated with red stripes.

"Why does she get a curtain?" Muta pulled on the sheet to emphasis his point.

"Because all the guards are male, and the general _is_ a lady with human genetics. If you'll kindly step back." Saka shooed them a few steps back and pulled the curtain closed. "Alright, what's the latest damage? My, Haru; these will be impressive additions to your collection."

"Collection of what?" Baron calmly noted the stains all over him, his expression clouded.

"Scars. At least her fur covers the worst of it." A gray paw poked through the side of a curtain.

"Could someone hand me one of the gowns in the drawer over there?" Polo swiftly did as she asked. "Oh dear. Have you been forgetting to eat _again_?"

"Not forgetting…necessarily. I _was_ making pancakes when I was attacked."

"Haru, what happened to Artemis?" That caught the attention of all the occupants of the infirmary, including the attendants.

"After he made his ridiculous offer, I sucker-punched him." This earned a series of cheers from the green cats, one wincing as he clapped one-pawed against the wall behind him, the other one bound. "His goons managed to drag him away while his army distracted me. Apparently they were under orders to take me by force if I happened to turn him down."

"That would explain why there are more and deeper cuts than you usually allow. The swords must have been dripping with a liquid tranquilizer."

"So _that's_ why I was fading so fast. Mind if I pass out now?"

"Could you hold on a little longer?"

"Sure."

"Oooh, looks like your arm's broken again."

"Great. That will make training more interesting."

"Absolutely not. You'll need at least two weeks in bed before I'll permit you even touching a weapon."

"Permit? Are you forgetting who you're talking to?"

"Haru, if you were anyone else, the tranquilizers would have put you out for a week! If you try to keep to your regular schedule in this condition, you'll tear your body apart. The stitches will need time to heal before you go off trying to save the kingdom _again_."

"I can't afford to stop the training now! Artemis could attack again at any time!"

"You need not worry about that. I'll train them while you recover." Everyone looked at Baron in surprise. His eyes were determined. "Few things would give me more pleasure than to take down that rogue of a cousin."

"Are you serious? You don't mind taking over my duties?" Haru's voice was incredulous, through the curtain. Baron smiled, although he knew she couldn't see it.

"Not at all. Your guards probably will, though."

"From cheating them out a vacation or because you'll be tough on them?"

"Both."

"Alright; I'm done stitching her back together." The gray cat pulled the curtain back, revealing Haru, who looked normal, disregarding the sling and hospital gown substituting for her outfit. "The good part is that you don't struggle, even when I pull out the needle and thread." Without the long sleeves of her tunic, Baron and Muta could see that the parts of her arms not covered with bandages had a lacelike pattern of old and new scars, almost as intricate as a spider's web. The short fur helped hide the smaller ones, but not by much. "Sir, if you're willing to part with that jacket, we can try to wash out the stains for you." Baron smiled at Saka and shrugged it off for her. Polo was pulling out a wheelchair when the dapper cat swept the patient into his arms again.

"Young man…"

"Don't worry." He was already following Yuki out of the infirmary.

"But her stitches-"

"It's okay Polo; he's not even touching the new ones." The doctor stared at his favorite patient with surprise as she managed to look past the broad shoulder. After the curtain fell back into place, everyone sat in silence a few more seconds before the inevitable happened.

"I'll bet anyone right here and now five trout that the kingdom's most allusive bachelorette will fall before Artemis does."

"Okay, but I'm betting that she's going down first."

"I already called that!"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Baron followed Yuki up into one of the higher towers of the castle, Muta following them with a stormy expression on his face. Lune had already taken his daughter to the royal baths, so Yuki was the only one left to show them to her room.

"Good thing we've been keeping this one open for you, Haru."

"Yeah, politics can be so much fun; it's hard to contain the excitement." Haru held the curtain open so that Baron could carry her through, but dropped it before Muta could enter; apparently forgetting that he was behind them. He came through anyway, looking a bit disgruntled. This room resembled Haru's home in taste, featuring a simple but comfortable bed. Yuki pulled back the covers while Baron settled the patient on the bed.

"You don't have to do all this, Baron."

"No, but I want to." Yuki pulled the covers up to Haru's chin.

"All right; you can pass out now."

"Thanks. Oh, Baron? Muta?" Both looked at her.

"Thank you for helping with everything. It was a nice change; not having to fight alone." Before they could answer, the young lady's eyes glazed over, and her head fell to the side on the pillow.

"I wish she'd tell me how she can fend off sleep like that," Yuki muttered as she escorted the Bureau out of the room and waved two soldiers forward to guard the entrance. "It would be useful for court functions."

"Undoubtedly." Baron agreed. Now in the hallway, Yuki reeled around to face the Bureau.

"I might as well make this plain; I didn't think that there would be a point to calling for your help, and Lune would have contacted you sooner if it weren't for me. However, I'm glad you came. If nothing else, than for what Haru just said."

"We would have helped her, if we weren't on another job," Baron offered quietly.

"Eh? What other job?" Baron looked at Muta, his expression grim.

"She was brought here when we were in China." Muta's eyes slitted in anger.

"If I ever find the prankster behind that, I'll skin him with my claws to make Haru a new pair of boots!" This made Yuki grin at him.

"The royal cobbler's already working on a pair, but if you happen to find more material to work with, I'm sure we could come to an understanding." Her eyes clouded in anger as she started leading the two down a different hallway. "I can't forgive anything that can make Haru cry like that."

"She wasn't crying, even once." Baron was confused by the queen's remark.

"Not anymore."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The rooms that Yuki had given Baron and Muta were a similar design to Haru's. She promised to have Baron's jacket returned as soon as possible before rushing to find her husband. Muta had joined the living figurine in his quarters to discuss plans.

"Well, it seems that we came here none too soon." Baron sat in his high back chair while Muta crashed on the side of the bed, making the legs shake noticeably.

"I like this king a lot better than the last one. He was a real hippie." Muta's face twisted at unexplained memories.

"I wouldn't know; I've never met him." Baron looked at the ceiling, picturing Haru sleeping above him several floors, and grinned. "I've often entertained the idea of paying a visit to the Cat Kingdom, but I must say; if I had known before that it was so beautiful here, I would have made my visit sooner." Muta glanced sharply at his companion, guessing that it wasn't exactly the scenery that had impressed him so much.

"She's too young for you." Baron was broken out of his sweet daydream.

"Beg pardon?"

"Haru. She's still practically a kid."

"I doubt that. Anyone that can handle a title like war general could hardly deserve to be called a child. She must be in her early twenties."

"She's twenty-three." Baron cocked his head at Muta, who started sweating. "I picked it up from the guards."

"The war general's age is hardly a common topic."

"It is here. The cats that think that she shouldn't be in charge of Lune's armies keep talking about how a pretty girl like Haru should retire from military life and settle down. They're too scared to say so in her presence though; apparently she did something really drastic when she was first brought here."

"Any idea what?"

"No, they just shuddered when I brought it up." Baron stood up and started pacing the floor.

"She's already proven that she's no child, but she _is_ a bit young to carry this kind of a burden." His musings were driving Muta crazy.

"Aah, I'll go take a catnap." He stood up and walked towards the curtain.

"Do that; I have lessons to prepare." Baron watched his friend leave, a suspicion growing inside of him. '_Is my age the real reason, Muta?'_

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

On reflex, Haru slammed her hand on the bedside table, pain shooting through her whole body. She sat up quickly, groaning. Upon opening her eyes, she remembered where, and when, she happened to be. Muta and Little Haru shot through the curtain, the elder holding a covered platter.

"Big Sister, are you okay?" The general laughed.

"I'm fine, but someone must have been whistling just now. I thought my old alarm clock was going off."

"That was Muta; he's in a really good mood." The half-cat cocked her head at him, and he suddenly looked nervous.

"Oh? And why would you be in a good mood, Muta?" He struggled to say something, but then just placed the platter on her lap. Haru pulled the cover off, revealing a plate covered decoratively with small pancakes nearly swimming in applesauce with traces of cinnamon, with a tall glass of cold milk and a slice of buttered toast.

"Wow, this looks great! Usually when I get hurt, I'm put on fish broth." The fat cat snorted dismissively.

"Muta walked in on the cooks while they were making some, and insisted on taking over making breakfast for you." Haru looked up at the edgy cat and grinned.

"You bullied the cooks _and _got to use the equipment? That would put me in a good mood too." The white cat lost his discomfort, and smiled at her.

"Just eat it, Chicky. You need the energy." Haru jokingly saluted him before grabbing the fork. Muta watched in anticipation as she raised the first bite to her lips. Haru's eyes shot wide open, and then softened, her face taking on a look of severe concentration.

"Well?" Little Haru was just as anxious as Muta, who was now sweating noticeably.

"It's wonderful. Like a completely different pancake. Thank you for making this." Haru took another bite, closing her eyes to savor the taste. Muta relaxed, relieved.

"I told you; the lemon makes all the difference."

"If it's so great, than why do you look so serious? Little Haru had climbed onto the bed next to her sister and was snuggling under the arm that wasn't bound.

"I could have sworn that I've had pancakes just like these before, but Mom never would have made me anything with meat."

"What about your dad?" The Cat Princess sneaked a pancake while Haru was lost in thought.

"I don't know, maybe." Haru thought for another second, and turned to Muta. "Where did you learn this recipe?"

"I used to hang around a fancy restaurant; you pick up a few things after a while." He didn't seem to want to go into further detail, so she left him alone.

"It could have been the same restaurant I tasted these at. Yeah, my dad being a meat-lover would explain a few things." Haru's eyes faded a bit, lost in thought. Little Haru was still working on the pancake she stole.

"How come you never talk about him?"

"Because up to this point, the only thing I really knew about him is that he did something that made my mom so angry that she likes to pretend that I was delivered with the morning paper one day. I don't have any real memories of him." Haru took a big sip of milk. Her talk had captivated Muta though.

"Well, what was his name?"

"Could be George, for all I know." Muta frowned.

"That's not fair, refusing to let you know anything about him."

"There are three things that I've never been able to talk to my mom about; my dad, consuming meat, and getting a cat." Haru took a bite of toast and smiled ironically, considering her current position. A polite coughing sound came from beside the curtain. Natoru was just coming through, an envelope in his hand.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I took the liberty of checking your mail while we were cleaning up the field from your activities." He placed the letter on the bedside table for her to read later.

"Thanks. Have they finished?"

"There are still some rebels scattered about, but it should be finished within a few more hours."

"That's good." The brown cat left to do his other duties. Muta was staring at the letter.

"You still contact your mother?"

"Yeah. She doesn't know about the cat side of everything, and I intend to keep it that way."

"Why not tell her?" Little Haru asked, making the elder give a sharp laugh.

"Oh, I could just picture how that would go; _Hi, Mom! How have you been? By the way, I didn't really run away to discover myself the day I disappeared, I was kidnapped and almost forced to get married to a cat! I turned into a cat too, which explains why I always refuse your pleas to come home for a visit or even for a photo of what I look like now. I didn't tell you because you were never good at dealing with pressure and I was certain you would flip if I became two of your worst nightmares; a fish-loving cat! By the way, I'm also a well-respected war hero and- what are you doing with that phone?!_" Haru shook her head, embarrassed at herself.

"I love her to death, but she's a lot better off without knowing. I'm sorry for my outburst." Muta looked at her sadly.

"You're allowed to express yourself; you don't need to apologize." She smiled back at him gratefully.

"Thanks."

"By the way; why is everyone around here scared to talk to you about your personal life?" Her sad look was replaced by an evil grin.

"Because I expressed myself the last few times someone tried to go there."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"I believe this concludes today's practice." All the green cats sighed heavily with relief as they collapsed where they stood, the new trainer calmly walking back into the castle to check on Haru again. She had still been asleep when he checked before practice, but there was the chance that she had woken up by now.

'_Muta must like her too.'_ There wasn't another good reason as to why he lost his power of speech when she happened to be in the room, or would settle into the background until she left. Not that Baron blamed him, or Artemis for that matter. Haru was definitely a girl worth fighting for. He picked up his freshly laundered jacket before climbing the staircase up to her room. He nodded cordially at the guards as he past them and pulled the curtain aside. They obviously knew better than to deny him entry.

"Come on, how could everyone be this scared of you for that?" Muta was sitting on the ground next to her bed, a covered tray next to him, and the princess was cuddling Haru underneath her free arm. Baron felt rather envious of the tiny kitten.

"Scared of you for what?" He asked casually, trying not to think about how she had time to bond with Muta instead of him. She looked up at him, and Baron forgot any resentment when he saw she was happy at seeing him again.

"For expressing myself. It's the only reason why nobody bugs me to get settled down. I can still see it in the court's eyes whenever I make an appearance in my military uniform." The cat doll walked to the bed and sat on the foot of it.

"Would you please tell us from the beginning what happened six years ago?"

"Yay, I love this story!" Haru winced as the kitten jumped up and down in her excitement. Baron reached over and pulled her onto his lap to quiet her down.

"I'm not sure that would be a good idea." The general's voice had gone soft.

"Why not, Chicky?" The orange cat glanced at Muta sharply for the nickname, but she didn't seem to mind.

"If Baron felt as guilty as he did, just for learning that I needed help the one time he was unable to give it, hearing what happened might make matters worse." Muta seemed surprised that she would care that much for his peace of mind. The orange cat wasn't about to give in, though.

"If you don't tell us what happened, I'll ask Lune for the details."

"Or me!" Little Haru waved one paw in the air to get Baron's attention. "I know the story too!" The elder one sighed.

"All right, I'll tell; but don't get all depressed on me again or start blaming yourself. The one responsible for what happened to me was punished in full."

"Yay!" The kitten started bouncing on Baron's lap. "Big Sister's version is really funny, which is a lot better than the sad story my mom tells." He shushed her and turned his attention to the young lady on the bed.

"The day had started out normal enough…" she gave a summary of what had happened to her before and during school to set the mood. "…so then I stole Hiromi's lacrosse stick and started chasing her with it…"

"Please say you didn't." Baron interrupted when she got to Lune's rescue.

"Sorry, but I can't. Sometimes, I can still feel the heat radiating from the truck mere inches from my body. I broke the lacrosse stick while sweeping him out of the way…" She spoke of her astonishment when he stood up and thanked her, and then again at the midnight procession of cats and her first encounter with Lune's father, the Cat King at the time. She described the gifts of the next day with all the solemnity of the ten plagues of Egypt, cat style. It was a bit hard to keep the solemn mood, since the princess kept giggling. Haru chuckled a bit when describing how Natoru explained the last picture of the scroll that said what she would be receiving. "At the time, the thought was pretty depressing, but now it's a source of amusement, knowing that cats find me more attractive than other humans did, even when I was still one of them."

"I doubt that." Baron interrupted again.

"I don't. Just the fact that cats were willing to comment on my looks meant they were paying more attention. Human guys considered me to be a different kind of passing breeze. Mom would just say that I was a late bloomer." Baron struggled to comprehend. A certain amount of physical appearance always got transferred between species the few times they have ever crossed. How could anybody just _ignore_ a girl like Haru?

"Besides, my attractiveness to humans wasn't a critical factor. My biggest mistake was assuming that Natoru's mind could handle a theoretical discussion. I mused out loud that maybe I'd fit in better with a bunch of cats. Eating all the food you want, taking long naps…anyway, he assumed that meant I was accepting the proposal, and rushed off to tell the king so they could bring me to their kingdom that night. I tried to stop him and say I wasn't accepting, but he was a little too fast, and I just tripped over more junk. I panic for a while, since I knew they were determined enough to actually carry me away and marry me off to the prince, when I hear this voice." Baron's ears flicked upwards.

"A voice?"

"Yes. It was a woman's voice, very pleasant. She told me to look for a large white cat at the Crossroads to take me to the Cat Bureau, where they would be able to help me with my problem." Muta's ears flicked upwards as well. "I did as the voice suggested, since it was either that or practicing my vows. I looked around the Crossroads for roughly two hours before I figure out he just isn't around. A lot of people were giving me funny looks, since I was questioning cats, trying to find a small clue." Both Baron and Muta deflate a bit, their ears pointing downward. "Hey, none of that! I just figured that you weren't around anymore or were with someone else, I never got angry at the Bureau."

"The one day…" Baron groaned. Muta extended his claws, a menacing look in his eyes. A spark appeared in the war general's eyes.

"You two snap out of it, or I'm stopping the story right here!" The two guys sat up straight, making the princess giggle. "That's better. I knew I couldn't return home, since that would be the first place they would look for me, and Mom wouldn't believe me until it was too late. I caught a ride on the monorail, hoping to at least throw them off my scent long enough for them to get the idea that I wasn't interested in their plans for me. Remember, I hadn't slept well the night before, and had a pretty long day, running everywhere, so I dosed for a bit. I wake up when the inside of the monorail lit up with blue light. All the other passengers had left, it was dark outside, and no one had thought to wake me up before closing.

"The blue light was from a portal that had appeared in the side of the car I was in, and through it came Natoru, riding a litter of gray cats. They broke apart and started circling my legs when I stood up to run, and they ended up tripping me and making me land on them. They carried me and Natoru back through the portal, and we came out into a high tower in this castle, where Lune's father was waiting for us. I was a bit disturbed about being the same size as a cat, and tried to tell the king that all the attention was really flattering, but I wasn't ready to get married yet. I was still only a junior in high school; it felt a bit too soon to be making that important of a decision."

"Much too soon," Muta agreed, his face stormy.

"Lune wasn't around to give his opinion, and his father wouldn't listen to my protests. The king had me escorted to a room that had a bunch of really fancy dresses ready, since he had arranged a banquet in my honor. The maidservants stuffed me into this huge yellow gown, and by the time the king comes back to check on me, I've already started changing into a cat, something no one had thought to warn me about." She looked at her balled up fist, perhaps seeing it as a paw again, and smiled.

"I'm pretty sure that if anybody had recorded what had happened to me, it would be pretty funny, watching me run around screaming 'Agh, I'm a cat!'. I was never outspoken as a human, but when my emotions took control, they went full-throttle. I had finished panicking and was being depressed in a small corner when another servant approached me. I recognized her voice as the one that told me to come to you for help, and she got really mad when I said you weren't around." Baron could guess who the cat was.

"Yuki. She used to be a servant?"

"Specifically, she used to serve Lune his meals when he was home, which I assume is how they met. Well, she snuck a small package into a hidden pocket in the dress, and told me that if I wanted to bad enough, I would find a way out of this mess on my own, and that the exit leading to my world was at the top of a tower in the middle of a maze in the back of the castle. If I got out before the human world's sunrise, I could return to my ordinary life. The package she had given me was a smoke bomb, since she couldn't help me. Yuki had to run in order to contact Lune about what was happening, and risked being discovered helping me instead of doing her duties." Haru's eyes faded as she sat back against the pillow Baron was propping up behind her. "Thanks. Yuki was shooed away before she could say anything more, and I was firmly escorted to the banquet hall. I acted all submissive, like they had broken my spirit, and they let their guard down enough for me to use the bomb." Her eyes lit up again as she continued. "While everyone was distracted, I jumped out of the nearest window."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"You what?!" Muta looked shocked. "Last I checked, the banquet hall was four stories up!"

"It felt a lot higher than that, since I was a bit afraid of heights. The reason I survived is because I rammed my feet down on the hoop of the gown, which made a half-decent parachute, and my fall was slowed down further when I ran my newly-acquired claws down the side of the building. Yuki told me later that she wished she had been able to tell me about the escape hatch in the banquet hall. For some reason, the cats dressing me had left my school clothes underneath, so I pulled off the gown and headed straight for the maze." Haru shuddered. "At the time, the tower was depressingly high, hundreds of feet higher than it is now, and the maze was still operating." Muta interrupted.

"Why did they make the maze?"

"They did it to keep Renaldo Moon from entering, just in case he decided to come back to attack the newly refilled sea."

"He drained the sea?" Baron was a bit incredulous. Muta was looking uncomfortable, for some reason.

"No, he just ate all the fish." She giggled. "I still don't fully believe that he pulled it off, but it earned him the title of most notorious criminal in Cat History. Getting back to the story, I've never been especially good with mazes, but losing my humanity made a pretty good incentive to get better at them. I'm doing fine until a squad of green cats jump off the top of the walls, surrounding me to take me back to the castle." Haru shook her head pityingly. "Please try to understand; at this point in my life, the only real physical activities I had ever done were in school or rescuing cats. And what they taught us at school wasn't exactly self-defense. I was a scared and lonely kitten." Baron tried to picture her that way, but failed.

'_I bet she would have made an adorable kitten.'_

"The leader's mistake was when he approached me with his spear, and started talking about how they didn't need to send this many after a little girl. That ignited my temper, so I kicked him hard in the leg. He fell over crying, and I picked up his spear." A grin returned to her face in full force, and she started laughing. "You should have seen the look on the rest of their faces, seeing their captain taken out within two seconds by a scrawny toothpick of a girl. I made it clear to them that I was not going to be delivered to the castle like a sacrificial lamb, and that they would have to take me down in order to return me to the king. I tried to think of all the kung fu or action movies I used to watch behind my mother's back, and my 'meowsy' dancing abilities were finally useful. I only had to take down three more before the rest fled back to the castle, screaming about a demon-cat. Apparently, the only requirements for entering the service back then were a huge body and able to hold a weapon. They were disorganized and shamefully incompetent."

"You're a poor dancer?" Baron was having a bit of difficulty absorbing the story that Haru was illustrating.

"I was while in high school, and no one's been insane enough to try to find out if I've improved since then."

"What would your dancing skills or lack thereof, have anything to do with fighting?"

"Let me put it this way; after the first day of dancing lessons, no one would agree to be my partner, because my last one was still wearing a cast from the first practice. Anyway, after taking out the guards, I wander around the maze a bit more, running into dead ends every two seconds it felt like. I have a fairly decent memory, so I noticed at one point that there were walls where there weren't before. These walls were a different texture, and when I looked at them at ground level, I could see paws on the other side."

"He was cheating too?!" Muta was standing on his hind legs, his claws fully extended as he looked for something to shred.

"I don't mind if you take out your anger on the curtains over there; I was thinking about replacing them anyway." Muta did as she suggested, the pink frilly lace soon dissolving into a pile of scraps and threads.

"Adequate," he grumbled as he resumed his seat. Haru continued the story.

"I figured since he was asking for it, I could use the spear I was still carrying to trip the cat on the other side, which led to a domino effect straight to the base of the tower. The cats had actually lined up perfectly, just for me." This brightened Muta's mood, making him laugh sinisterly.

"Very nice." Baron grinned at the half-cat, making her blush slightly.

"Thanks. After the dust settled, I ran along the new pathway and made it to the base in no time. I was out of breath by the time I reached the stairs that used to spiral around the tower, and had to take a short break. I didn't have a watch, so I had no clue how much time I had to work with. I ran up the winding staircase, and then walked slower and slower, almost crawling when I couldn't run anymore. In the distance, I could see the king sprinting for the tower, with his advisors, attendants, security, and a squad of guards. At one point, he stopped and turned to face one of his advisors, possibly to answer a question. About here, I see a side door open up, and more guards pile out, one at a time. Even as exhausted as I was, I knew I could take them down, but didn't need to." Baron cocked his head at her.

"Why not?"

"Because the stairs underneath them couldn't take their weight, so it collapsed from underneath their feet, sending them all down the side of the tower." Muta laughed uproariously, while Little Haru giggled on Baron's lap after he had sat down again, this time right next to the story-teller. His laughter was a bit more controlled.

"That's what I would have done, if I wasn't in a hurry or had the breath for it," she continued, referring to their laughter. "I side-stepped around the part that broke away, and am maybe twenty steps from the opening that's now the base of the tower when I hear several loud explosions, making the entire tower shudder and convulse." This cut off her companions' laughter, and their eyes filled with understanding horror. "That's right. He blew up the tower from underneath my feet to keep me from escaping." Baron started hyperventilating, and Muta stood up slowly, a murderous glint in his eye.

"Where is Lune's father now? The king never said he was dead, so I want to correct it."

"That's sweet of you, Muta, but please don't."

"Are you defending him?!" Baron had also stood up, his eyes equally dangerous.

"Not exactly. He did die about two years ago, and he was fully punished for everything he did. Sit back down; I promise to make you both laugh one more time before the story's finished." They grudgingly resumed their seats.

"How did you survive?" Haru's eyes faded again, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I almost didn't. I didn't have anything to grab onto where I was standing, and the sheer force of the wind carried me up as the tower began to shrink in size. I remember thinking 'this is it, I'm gonna die.' As I twirled around in the vacuum, I saw a solid object begin to fly past me, and I sank my claws deep into it." She cocked her head to the window. "If you'll look at the standing remains of the tower, there are several ledges sticking out, large enough for two medium cats to stand shoulder to shoulder. On one of them, you can still see my claw marks, all along the side as the vacuum of air tried to rip me from my last hope at life. When the tower finally came to a stop, I fell onto the ledge safely, but I broke my left arm from the impact." Which happened to be the same arm that was now bound. Baron's eyes hardened again as he took her right hand, and she smiled softly at him, blowing away the anger that had begun to build inside of him.

"It was the first time I had ever broken a bone, despite my klutz attacks growing up, and I couldn't even cry since the wind had been knocked out of me. Down below, I could hear the king approaching, and his skepticism as to where I went." Muta snorted in disgust. "At first, I thought the exit had been damaged by the explosion, but my cat nose could smell car fumes. I struggled to get up as the prince approached in the distance. I was a little scared that this whole thing had been Lune's idea, so I took the little chance I had and started running the staircase spiraling inside. Down below, I could hear Lune and his father arguing, but I didn't care enough at the time to listen. It was already light by the time I got to the top, and I had difficulty getting into the hole with a broken arm." Haru's eyes faded again as her mind returned to that difficult time.

"As you can see, my hands, feet, and body build reversed to resemble a human's, but I was still undeniably a cat. I was so…I can't even think of a word to express how I felt when the realization hit that I could never see Mom or Hiromi again, never finish high school or go to college; the little things of an ordinary life were gone for good." She looked at her slim hand, almost covered by Baron's slightly larger one. Her gloves had been confiscated at the infirmary, and her bare hand had a pale shade of brown fur, no fingernails, but her retractable claws made up for the loss. Turning her hand around, she once again examined her palms, padded like a cat's. She guessed that Baron's were similar underneath his sturdy cotton gloves. He squeezed her hand gently, and her subtle depression faded slightly. It was strange, how Baron could make her feel better without saying a word.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"I cried my heart out over the loss and sheer exhaustion until Lune and Yuki came up to bring me down. I hadn't even noticed that the exit was hovering several thousand feet in the air, or that I would have died if I had fallen off. I could barely comprehend Lune when he apologized to me up, down, and even sideways for what had happened. He had no part of his father's plans, and had actually just proposed to Yuki. I managed to congratulate them as we stumbled back down the stairs, both of them supporting me, since I had been operating on a negative amount of sleep and hadn't eaten since lunch the day before. The broken arm wasn't hurting anymore, since my ability to feel pain had been short-circuited. Lune's father was all over the situation when we finally came down the last steps. He was apologetic too…that he had been getting my hopes up."

"Excuse me?" Baron was certain he had misheard.

"Oh, it gets better. He said that since I must feel like such a loser that Lune chose one of the hired help over me, I should marry him instead, since it wasn't like I had anywhere else to go. He even offered to change me back to a full human if I consented. Don't break that table Muta; you need to hear what happened next before your temper goes to extremes."

"Who said I had a temper?!" He was currently holding a writing desk between his paws, and the wood was groaning as it bent. He set the table down and walked over to her, his eyes still flaming.

"Did you give it to him?!" Haru cackled evilly, and Little Haru rolled her eyes.

"She always gets stranger than usual when we reach this part of the story."

"I take it you were forceful in turning him down?" Baron's own temper had risen at the former king's arrogance, and he was really hoping for a detailed description of her rebuke.

"That was one way to put it. I told him a number of things that I refuse to repeat in the presence of an impressionable kitten. I insulted him on every conceivable level, and than made up a few, just to insult him on those. I went into vivid detail what I thought of him and his idea, and told him that if he tried to force me into _this_ marriage, I would spend the rest of my life making his a living nightmare. I also told him what I thought of his army, and said that if I, an exhausted and starving school girl, could take down his soldiers, than I could take down his entire army with one arm tied behind my back, but I wouldn't need to, since one was already broken and useless.

"By the way, I've always had really powerful lungs, and it's usually pretty quiet and peaceful here. Put that together with the fact that I was screaming every syllable, and you have an entire kingdom that gets to hear their beloved ruler getting chewed out for the first time in his life. It was obviously long overdue, and I managed to hit a note that shattered the Cat's Eye, a magical gem that doubled as the royal crown. That gem was what he used to make the blue portal and how he planned to change me back to a human. I also told him that I would rather live off garbage on the streets for the rest of my life than spend one day with him, but since he was stuck with me no matter what, I was going to have a lot of fun performing strange tortures on him, and then fainted from exhaustion." At this point, Muta was purring loudly, and Baron not too far from joining in, a blissful smile on his face.

"That was supposed to make you two laugh, but this will do. I couldn't speak for a week after my little speech, but everyone else went deaf for two. Lune said that after I fainted, one of his guards made a comment about if I can do all that I had just been through in the sorry state I was in, what would I do to his father when I woke up? That thought terrified him enough to abdicate the throne to his son, on the grounds that I wouldn't be allowed within seeing distance or a hundred meters, whichever was greater, of him and he would stay far from the castle. When I woke up, I met Doctor Polo, who was a bit scared of me at the time, for hearing what I said to his monarch. He got Lune, who then made me another offer. At least his didn't have the 'm' word in it." Baron guessed the next part.

"He wanted you to train his army, right?"

"He did, but he didn't want me to start until my body and mind had recovered from what had happened, which ended up taking a month. He also offered to take me in as his own sister if I had no objections, since he owed me big time. I was willing about the sister part, since I've never had a brother and had no other place to go, but I had a few problems with training the guys I had just taken down. He said that if I could defeat them in the state I was in, than I could handle a teaching position, although he wouldn't force me. I think even he and Yuki were scared of me for a while, even though they knew I wasn't directing the speech at them. I ended up accepting the job and the new family; the rest is history."

"Not quite. How did you get so good at fighting?" Baron still couldn't believe she had become a master by winging it.

"I told you; I liked kung fu movies and I used my imagination through trial and error." Haru looked out the window again, thinking. "I've never been able to forget that if the guards had had anything resembling a formal training, I would have been toast. The only reason I was able to keep the little humanity I have left was because I was more stubborn than Lune's father was. I figured out while recovering from that first incident that as long as I'm stronger, faster, or smarter than my opponent, I'll be able to keep control of my fate. Nothing fuels skill like a pig-headed determination. My new cat body was a bit more flexible than my human one, which really helped with relearning how to use it. A lot of these scars aren't even from battle; they're from me figuring out how weapons work." She started giggling again. "After watching the entertainers perform, I found out that even they were more equipped to fight, so I got one group to teach me how to throw daggers, and another to teach better balance. It's a little hard for them to teach effectively, since they thought I could be two seconds from tearing off their heads if they corrected me." Little Haru piped up.

"Everyone except my family and Doctor Polo's calls Big Sister the 'Demon-Cat of King Lune', and can't decide who's scarier; her or Renaldo Moon. The younger ones lean toward Big Sister, since they are too young to remember the criminal." The Bureau absorbed the information before asking for more. Muta asked the next question.

"How come you have no scars on your face?" The princess answered for Haru.

"She's pretty careful, and even though the guards are scared of her, they still think she's too pretty to try to damage the face." The general turned red, but didn't provide an alternative answer. Baron silently agreed with them and smiled at the half-cat before asking another question.

"How come your hair hasn't been cut shorter, with you playing near all those sharp implements?" Haru's eyes turned a bit sad.

"When I first came here, my hair barely brushed my shoulders when it was down, and I've been letting it grow out ever since, as a puny gesture that I'm at least part human still. If I know that I'll be playing with anything sharp, I usually tie the braid around my arm or waist to keep it out of the way." Baron thought of something else.

"The king mentioned that you saved his wife's life as a child." Haru smiled at the memory.

"I did. None of this would have happened if I had let her die." Muta snorted impatiently.

"Just tell us what happened, Chicky." She smiled at him.

"All right. When I was younger, I would sometimes find small boxes of fish crackers stuffed under my pillow or in my bag at school. At first I thought it was my mother, but she flipped out when she saw them, and would throw the uneaten boxes away while doing random raids on my room. She had always taken my appetite for fish as a personal insult. Being a kid, I was convinced that the one behind them was a fish fairy or something that disagreed with my mom for raising me as a vegetarian. I had been eating the crackers on the way home from school one day when a filthy little kitten started following me. Since I couldn't eat the whole box before Mom would catch me, and the kitten looked pretty hungry, I gave her the rest of the crackers.

"I had forgotten about the incident until Yuki showed me the engagement gift Lune had gotten her, which was a box of the same crackers that had saved her from starvation. Those crackers were the reason he was almost road kill, since he had lost his grip on the box at just the wrong time. Kind of funny, knowing that the reason I'm a cat is a crazy king and fish-flavored snacks. You going somewhere, Muta?" Baron hadn't even noticed that his friend had gotten up. He was already heading out the curtain, the platter and cover hanging at his side. He didn't turn to answer Haru.

"Yeah, one of us should check if the king needs any help. I don't think the Bureau's talked to him since you got sewn back into one piece. Baron can fill me in on any other details." The curtain billowed behind him as he sped down the hallway and staircase. The orange cat watched his friend's retreat with surprise.

"That was a bit abrupt."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"Will you hold still?! You aren't being very dignified about this!" Four cats were holding down another, the one being a coal black and three red stripes down his back, with a night blue eye and a blood-red eye. He was currently screaming, the disinfectant on his face stinging horribly.

"Meeeooowwch!" Artemis had become a little more used to pain since meeting Lady Haru, but not by much. His own father called him stupid for pursuing the Demon-Cat, before Artemis silenced him for good. He managed a smile as he thought of the kind of sons she would give him, when he finally had her. Artemis let his mind drift back to the first time he saw Lady Haru in order to escape the pain. It was at Lune's wedding; he was still a prince at the time, since the royal goldsmith needed time to make a new crown. Even before meeting the Demon-Cat, he was intrigued by descriptions of her, and would often imagine what she looked like, to make the Cat King want her introduced to the royal family so badly.

He got his answer at the ceremony. Lady Haru was the maid of honor, and easily outdid the bride in beauty. He didn't need an introduction, due to her slightly human build. Her head fur was a lot shorter at the time, and had added a slightly melancholy look to her. She had been wearing a modest gown of powder blue, which complimented her natural coloring wonderfully. She still had a bit of a kittenish look, which only added to her desirability.

'_Meeeooowww…who would have thought that a pinch of human could bring out the cat like that?!'_ He didn't get a chance to talk to her until the reception, and she seemed unimpressed when he introduced himself. Still struggling to give the right impression, he kissed her hand, which was covered by a long white glove, but that only seemed to irritate her more.

"The attention's flattering, but I'd rather be alone right now."

"Could I prevail upon you for a dance later then?" She laughed, the anger still evident.

"No. The royal physician has the night off, and he wouldn't appreciate me giving him work right now." He doubted that she was _that_ bad, but wanted to remain on her good side. Artemis had stood beside her, watching all the couples sway in time with the music.

"Could you have really done it?" He just had to get her to talk to him, or he'd explode. She glanced at him, irritated.

"Done what?"

"Taken over the kingdom with one arm tied behind your back." Her eyes faded, unseeing.

"If the guards at the palace are the best protection cats have to offer, I could probably pull it off within a week. But I wouldn't do it."

"Why not? You'd make a lovely queen." She turned her head sharply toward him and glared.

"If I _wanted_ a shiny metal hat, then I would have accepted it when I had the chance. Besides, Yuki will be a good queen. Lune chose his bride well." The bridal couple was in the middle of the dance floor, lost in each other's eyes. Artemis shook his head in disgust.

"I still can't believe that my cousin had a chance to have you for a bride and chose a serving maid instead." He barely had time to finish his thought when she reached over and slammed his head down next to a fish punch bowl, her hand over his throat. He was stunned at her strength, even then. Her eyes glowed with an angry fire that threatened to burn him alive.

"Hear this well; nobody disrespects Lune and Yuki in my presence. They are my family now, and I will not tolerate slander against them!"

"Haru!" She looked up, seeing the future king approaching her, and the dancing had stopped, everyone watching her in fear. "Is there a problem?" She shook her head and smiled at him.

"Not anymore. I was just making some things clear to your cousin."

"Second cousin, but it's not important. Would you please release him?" She reluctantly let the black and red cat go, and he fell to the floor, breathing unsteadily. "Artemis, for future record, don't irritate my ward. Did he hit on you Haru?" She glared at the black cat again.

"Subtly, but what got me was his comment on your choice of a mate." Lune also glared at the cousin, who was still staring at the Demon Cat, disbelieving at the outburst she pulled at his cousin's behalf.

"If you do either of those things again, I will let my ward do whatever she feels is appropriate for you. Care to walk with me, Haru?"

"I would love to." They both turned to leave the humiliated cat.

"So, you do whatever Lune tells you to do?" She looked over one shoulder to glare at him again, her eyes still flaming.

"No. I do what he asks me to do. That's more important."

At that moment, Artemis knew he had to possess the throne. Haru's beauty demanded a crown, and she obviously had the presence to issue commands. Just because Lune was too moronic to appreciate what he could have had didn't mean that Artemis would just stand aside and let a girl like Haru go to waste.

He had tried to woo her the usual way first, by sending gifts of ribboned mice. But when he stopped by the castle to try flirting with her, she punched him in the mouth, which became her usual greeting for him. It was a less than desirable way to find out that she was still human enough to hate mice. And yet…her obvious scorn of him only sharpened his desire. He had hoped that he could prove himself to her by organizing a rebellion and show that he was worthy of being her husband. The revolt had taken longer to organize than he had hoped, since everyone was scared of the Demon-Cat, but the years since the first encounter weren't wasted. The passing time had erased all traces of the kitten Lady Haru once was, to be replaced by a full-grown tigress. Artemis actually purred at the image of her looks now in his mind as his doctor finished, and Captain Moe came through the tent flap.

"Your Grace, I bring news of the battle." The black cat looked over expectantly.

"Did they manage to take her?"

"I'm afraid not. Our sleeping potion wasn't as potent as we thought."

"A paper cut with it knocked out ten of our best within a minute when we tested it, don't give me that baloney!"

"I guess she was immune to it, because only eighty of your soldiers survived the battle. There is something else." The cats restraining him had let go, and he sat up to give the captain his full attention.

"Well?"

"Two other cats came out of nowhere and fought by her side. And when they were done, one of the cats carried her back to the castle." Artemis blinked in surprise.

"Hold it. She actually let a cat touch her?" Since kissing her hand at the first meeting, she hadn't let him or anyone else get close to her.

"Yes. She didn't put up too much of a fight about it, and the cat _was_ very handsome, according to our spies." Artemis jumped off the table and started pacing the tent, his face contorted in anger.

"She's never been impressed with physical appearances before."

"That's not even the half of it; the cat had beaten her in a fight earlier in less than five minutes!" Artemis stopped pacing, his eyes sparking with an inner fire.

"Was _that_ the requirement?" He muttered to himself, lost in thought. "Moe, I want our spies to follow this cat. I want to know everything there is to know about him, including when he sneezes."

"Yes, Your Grace. Oh, you also have a visitor."

"What? Who?"

"He didn't say, but he's offering his assistance to the cause." Artemis sighed angrily.

"Then show him in. I need all the help I can get, since my future bride slaughtered most of it."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Baron was walking back up the stairs to Haru's the required two weeks later to find her already practicing, her arm still in its sling. The sword clashed horribly with the lime green sundress she was wearing, the tailor obviously not done with her new military raiment.

"Enthusiastic, are you?" She looked over at him and grinned, making his heart skip a beat.

"Artemis has been a thorn in my side ever since we met, and I'm eager to pull him out." She gently laid the sword aside, and fished a long box from underneath her bed.

"This is for you. To thank you for everything you've been doing."

"It's not full of fish crackers, is it?" She laughed as he took the box from her. Opening it, he found a sturdy new cane, the scent declaring it made of cedar, like him.

"I noticed you didn't have your cane with you after the first day, so it seemed appropriate." He lifted it from the box and looked along its side, swinging it once.

"Thank you; it was time for a new one anyway. I'm actually here to escort you to Lune's study; apparently he has more bad news."

"Great." She had started for the door when he swept her into his arms again. She didn't bother to protest this time, the cat doll matching her in stubbornness. "You know, if you keep carrying me everywhere, I'll forget how to walk."

"You mean I would have to carry you around the rest of your life? What a wonderful fate." He chuckled at the blush on Haru's face, but noticed that she had swung her good arm around his neck for better balance. _'This is coming along nicely.'_

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

By now, they had gotten used to the stares and snickers of repressed laughter all the cats would give them as they past the stairs and hallways. After a while, Haru pulled aside a curtain to reveal the royal family and Muta waiting for them. The huge white cat looked up and blanched.

"Chicky, do you still need Baron to carry you around like that? I'd have thought for sure that you'd feel better by now." Baron settled her comfortably in a seat while she answered.

"Thanks to your cooking and Baron's tea blend I feel like a new cat, and will probably be able to use my arm by the end of this week. He's the one that insisted on carrying me." All the cats looked at the figurine, who shrugged.

"No use taking chances with those stitches. What's the latest news, Lune?" The king sighed heavily.

"I don't know how Artemis is doing it, but he's managed to replace everyone that was slain in the last attack." The girl half-cat straightened in her chair.

"What?!" The king glumly nodded.

"I know. I think he's assembling for a mass invasion on the castle." Haru slumped against her chair.

"Two weeks of licking my wounds for nothing," she muttered. "That was figuratively speaking, of course." Lune laughed sadly.

"Of course. One of your brilliant strategies would be pretty useful about now, Haru." She leaned her head back and closed her eyes to concentrate. Baron resisted the impulse to lean over and kiss her, being in such a favorable position to do it.

"Do we have an estimate on the number?" she asked.

"A thousand, at least." She groaned.

"Wonderful. If it were even five hundred, we could come up with a reasonable plan." Lune pulled an evil grin.

"Maybe if we dress you up pretty and left you in a random field, Artemis would come out, and we could take him down." Haru just rolled her eyes.

"Please, like I would need a ball gown in order to defeat him. He cries like a baby every time I punch him."

"How often would that be?" Muta leaned in eagerly. Haru thought about it

"Let's see; once every time he proposes, average of once a year, plus the newer one and the first time he tried to flirt with me… eight times. I won't dignify the sick love notes he used to send when he was too scared to face me as real proposals." Muta started purring again. "Why are you so interested in would-be suitors?" She asked suspiciously, and he stopped purring.

"Because I like hearing jerks getting what they deserve, and they won't leave you alone."

"Story of my life. Hey, I think I have something. We won't be able to defeat them in a full head-on battle, so we need to resort to subterfuge. Could someone bring over a map?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"That was rather brilliant, Haru." The meeting had concluded, and Baron was carrying the general around for a change of scenery.

"Thanks. It wouldn't be possible without your contribution, though. Are you sure Toto won't mind being volunteered like this?"

"Are you kidding? He fights with Muta all the time, so he's well polished in that respect."

"Will you be able to reach him in time?"

"He already knows." Spotting a fountain, he walked toward it and settled Haru down on the side of it before taking a place beside her. "Creations can contact each other with their minds, so he's already preparing for his part." Feeling a bit shy, he put an arm around her, and was relieved when she leaned towards him, completely comfortable.

"I hate having to kill on this kind of scale, but that jerk has left us no alternative." He rubbed her shoulder, and tried to understand the look in her eyes.

"When you have something worth dying for, you're usually willing to kill for it as well."

"Isn't that the truth?" Her question sounded more like a statement, her eyes fading out again from painful memories.

"You're thinking about the first time, aren't you?" Her eyes focused on him again, and she didn't bother to feign ignorance.

"Yes. I felt like such a monster, but there was nothing I could have done better."

"Want to talk about it?" She sighed.

"No, but you'll probably convince me to tell before long anyway." He nodded in grim confirmation and squeezed her gently. She took a deep breath.

"It was at Lune and Yuki's coronation, several months after I was first brought here. They had married soon after I finished healing, so she was almost due for Sweet Pea to be born. The goldsmith had just finished fashioning a replacement crown for the one I broke, and I personally feel that this one was way better since it looked like a real crown instead of a third eye. Lune says that it leaves terrible blisters, which is why he hardly ever wears the thing. He was taking his vows to protect and honor his people when one of the robed attendants whips out this nasty looking knife that had a saw tooth blade. He started to charge Lune, but I intercepted him with a spear I stole from one of the guards. I would prefer not to describe how I ended his life." Baron wrapped both arms around her, and she used her unbound arm to wrap around his. "Everyone agreed it was the right thing to do, and Lune and Yuki were crowned without further incident. I felt so dirty, no matter how many times I visited the royal baths, and I wouldn't talk to anyone until Sweet Pea was born a month later. I didn't even want to hold her at first, and tried desperately to talk them out of naming their newborn daughter after me and me as the godmother." She smiled, brightening at last.

"That was the first time the two had the courage to deny me something I wanted, and I was so proud of them. They said that not only was it my fault that this child was born, but I also ensured that she would grow up knowing her father. That hit a nerve, since that was something I had wanted ever since childhood, so I asked to hold her. Carrying my Sweet Pea for the first time, I knew that what I had done at the coronation wouldn't be the last time I would need to shed blood, but I would do whatever it took to make sure that this precious little girl would grow up happy and whole. I still feel guilty whenever I kill someone, but it's just a part of keeping Sweet Pea safe." Baron held her for a few more moments, unaware that someone else had heard every word. Muta was hiding on the other side of a hedge close to the couple, with silent tears shamelessly streaming down his face and soaking his fur.

'_The things this girl has gone through…no. She's not a little girl anymore. Baron was right about that.'_


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Haru finished unwrapping her arm from the bandages, and reached out experimentally. No pain. She smiled; glad to be rid of the last of the physical restraints. Baron had stopped carrying her everywhere, but started insisting that she lean on his arm instead. It wasn't as pleasant as the free rides, but Haru was willing to work with what she was given.

'_Baron.'_ Ever since she looked into his eyes that first time, her heart's been on a roller coaster, dragging her mind along for the ride. '_What is wrong with me? I've been fighting off cats' advances for over half a decade, but he can make me laugh and blush within seconds. I instinctively trust him with things I don't even tell Yuki, and I look forward to seeing him again seconds after he leaves. Does Baron have the thing I need?'_

"Lady Haru?" Natoru was peaking through her curtain. "The queen wishes a word with you in the rose garden."

"Inform her I'll be right down." Always eager for an assignment, he scampered off to do her bidding. She had always felt guilty about thinking that the only reason he wasn't afraid of her was because he didn't have the brain power to consider it.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Seeing the look on Yuki's face as she entered the exquisite garden, Haru immediately knew that she was in for it.

"Hey Yuki."

"Could you sit down for a second? We need to talk." The brown cat sat down next to the white one on the stone bench, adjusting her lavender skirt as she did so.

"What about?"

"Baron." Her hand froze, the skirt still wrinkling a bit.

"Which part did you want to cover?" Yuki gave her an annoyed look.

"Hmm, let's start with the dreamy expressions, the parade of dresses after your uniform was completed when you usually go for the uniform at first chance, the silly grins-" The general threw her hands up in defeat.

"All right, you caught me. I've got it bad for Baron." A look of triumph lit up the queen's face.

"Aha, I knew it!"

"Maybe you should shout a little louder; there may have been one or two of your subjects that didn't hear you."

"I'm just so happy for you Haru! Does he have the requirement that you never told anyone about, including me?" The brown cat leaned back and looked into the sky.

"Let me put it this way; if he doesn't right now, he probably will before Artemis gets buried, dead or not."

"Was it beating you in a fight? That would be-"

"Incredibly shallow, I know. And it isn't. You know better than to play this game, Yuki."

"I did when the guy that could crack your code was thought to be a theoretical shadow that would never make an appearance. Come on, just a little hint." The queen's tone turned coaxing, like persuading a child to eat greens. Haru shook her head, still smiling.

"No dice. Now that there's someone to challenge the requirement, it's more important than ever to keep it a secret until the game's played out."

"No offence, but I'm on _this_ suitor's side."

"No one really said he was courting me."

"Uh, he carried you everywhere for over two weeks, everyone in the castle sees him run up the stairs to talk to you for maybe two minutes before continuing your duties, which he didn't have to take, and he poured his special blend of tea into you almost until it came out your ears. Plus you laugh and blush more in his presence for one hour than you have since you moved here, my daughter's influence excluded. Let's not forget how he flips whenever you try to move or exert yourself too much-"

"Have you been spying on us?"

"I'm the queen; it's in the job description." Haru smiled fondly at her friend and rested her chin on her palms.

"Sometimes I have difficulty believing that someone like Baron could really exist. He literally popped out of nowhere and threw my already chaotic life into more chaos by trying to organize it all. I've seen how he trains the guards through my window, and I can't help but feel that I'll be out of a job by the time he deems me well enough to resume my duties."

"Would that be so bad? It would give you time to focus on other things." The meaning behind her words was clear, making Haru smile.

"I refuse to even consider retirement until after Artemis is out of the picture. Truth be told, the single life doesn't seem as glamorous as it did before meeting Baron. Who knows what could happen after the rebellion?" The queen's grin turned mischievous.

"I hope I have a pretty good idea, and it involves the bells ringing in the towers."

"Are you really so eager to be rid of me?"

"You know I love you to death, but I want you to be as happy as I am. Is that so bad?"

"No." Haru's eyes faded once more, but this time from fond memories. "You know? I'm glad Baron was gone when I came for help." Yuki nearly fell out of her seat.

"What?!"

"I'm glad. Now that I know him, I have no doubt in my mind that if he had helped me, I would be living a normal, boring human life. I don't think I would have met a human guy like him, and he probably wouldn't be much taller than my knee if I was at human height. That would make flirting with him a bit awkward."

"Undoubtedly. The chance of you meeting my daughter would have been zero, and we probably would never have seen you again." Haru's heart pricked a bit, the prospect terrible. The things she had done for that kitten…

"I still talk to my mother, which was the only real bummer about not getting back in time. I had wanted to return that first day more out of security than fondness of my native world. I may have been a klutzy schoolgirl that no boy would look twice at, but it was still a life I knew. But I am happier with this life. I have a job, a home, a brother and sister who get me whatever else I might want…"

"A handsome cat paying court to you…" Yuki wasn't about to let that escape Haru's notice.

"You mean you've been checking him out? For shame, Yuki!"

"Haruuu!" The queen gave a playful punch on her general's shoulder and laughed. The brown cat laughed until another thought struck her.

"You know what's really strange?" Yuki stopped laughing long enough to answer her.

"What?"

"I had a small list of requirements for my future husband while I was daydreaming as a child, and I can tell you that Baron has completed two-thirds of that list." Yuki cocked her head, surprised.

"Are you going to tell these?"

"Obviously. One was that I would always feel safe around him and could depend on him to always be there when I need him. Second was that he could sweep me off my feet and make me feel like a princess. But I'll be honest; I don't expect anyone to be able to pull off the last requirement without fireworks or an electric display to help out."

"Oh, you have to tell what the last thing is. Right now." Haru laughed.

"Appear in a blaze of glory. It was supposed to be the first one, but remember that I _was_ a little girl day-dreaming. I still don't expect-" she cut off, suddenly distracted by the lights tugging at the edge of her vision. Both cats looked up, confused. The rose garden was in the inner courtyard of the castle, and was surrounded by balconies and windows.

The latter started to shimmer in a way they never had before, flashing the light past the cats on the bench before centering on a opening in the hedge, another window seeable through it to give off more light. Now with the spotlight firmly in place, Baron calmly walked into their view and strolled toward their bench. Stopping in front of them, he took off his hat and held it over his heart again, the cane tucked behind his back as he gazed at the brown cat. His amused smile washed over her as she struggled to take in what he had just done for her.

"And Muta says that no one's impressed by my cheesy light show." The sarcasm was evident in his voice as the supernatural light began to fade. Haru struggled not to laugh, tears beginning to overflow as she stood up and walked into his embrace.

"Baron…you are such…a show-off."

"I know, but it was just too good to pass up." He squeezed her and breathed in the cherry blossom scent in her hair, which she hadn't bothered to braid that day. It now flowed to her knees, and Baron was appreciating the change as he ran his fingers through it and held her close, glad to have finally found a way to undeniably declare his intentions to her. And even more so that she was obviously interested in his plans for their future.

What would she have thought, if she had come to the Bureau that night, and saw him the way she used to imagine her soul mate appearing? He would have proposed right then and there in the garden if another matter wasn't pressing down on him.

"Lune wants to see all of us, but I would _really_ like to further discuss this at a later date." She faded a bit, but brightened at the last part. Yuki had been enjoying the show, but knew the call of duty. She stood up and led the way to the study, the couple behind her linking arms.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

A cat Baron had never seen before was with the king when the group entered. He appeared to be very old, his fur lined with a soft light gray, and wearing a purple robe and spectacles. He gasped and jumped back at seeing Haru.

"Hey, I remember you…forgot the name, though." She seemed to be taking his fear in stride, sitting in the chair Baron offered her.

"N-natori, Lady Haru. I see now that the restraining order was the best idea the former king had, concerning you. He may have lost his head again at seeing you now." She waved her hand dismissively, a grin still on her face.

"Stop with the flattery; I have a boyfriend. Why did you bring him out of retirement, Lune?" The king grinned at Baron, happy that Haru had finally admitted what everyone had been suspecting since the orange cat arrived. He grinned back, even happier than Lune was over the new development.

"He knows the land better than any other cat, and was the only one that had the knowledge you requested to make the plan work."

"Oh, good. You can stop looking at me like I'm going to eat you, Natori. I wasn't _really_ going to do everything I was considering out loud. I was just venting steam." He blinked, and sighed in relief.

"Ah…right. I have wondered how you were planning to do the thing with the chain saw." Baron cocked his head at her as she struggled to suppress her evil giggles.

"Is he referring to your speech?"

"Yeah, I'll explain the chain saw thing later. I would have needed a cordless one to pull it off here anyway. Is Muta coming?" Lune answered her.

"My daughter's getting him. She's grown very close to him, says that hanging out with him is a lot like hanging out with you Haru, except with more kitchen appliances." She smiled indulgently.

"As long as she still likes me, I can handle the competition. Muta and I really need to talk about his culinary knowledge." Baron shook his head in amazement.

"I don't know what's gotten into him since we came here. At the Bureau, the only thing he'd ever make was angel food cake, and I had to promise him four whole ones in order to get him here. He hasn't grumbled a single word about not getting them yet, and he's been keeping the cooks in line with and iron fist and a steel whisk."

"Maybe he's maturing," Haru offered.

"Muta?" Baron was a bit skeptical.

"Someone called?" The large cat came through the curtain, the princess swinging happily from his paw. Natori shifted his gaze from the Demon-Cat to the intruder, and his face wrinkled in vague recognition.

"I got him, Daddy! It took a while, since he was busy making codfish puffs."

"Codfish," Natori murmured, his eyes glazing over a bit. Then he jumped into the air again, an expression of horror on his face. "Guards! Renaldo Moon has the princess!" Two huge cats burst in, but stopped, confused at just seeing Muta.

"Calm yourself, Natori. Muta's not Renaldo Moon; he's a trusted family friend." Lune tried to soothe Natori, who refused to be.

"I'm telling you, your majesty; I came past the remains of the tower while coming here and saw that cat's likeness on the walls! He is the foulest villain of all Cat History!" The princess started giggling.

"Muta may look like Renaldo Moon, but he's too nice." However, Haru had been keeping her eyes on the white cat's face, and knew that something was wrong.

"Muta? You did say that the maze wasn't built last time you came to the Cat Kingdom." He couldn't look her in the face, and she knew Natori was telling the truth. Without skipping a beat, she knew what had to happen.

"Natori! Calm down!" Everyone jumped at her shout, half because of the memories and the other half because she had never spoken at that level in their presence before. She had stood up from her chair, and the look on her face was enough that the old cat sank into his chair, terrified of her all over again. Now that he wasn't calling for guards, she faced the large white cat, who had released the princess so she could sit on her mother's lap. "Muta, did you really drain the sea last time you came here?" He snorted in contempt.

"Of course not. You were right; no single cat could pull that off if they spent a lifetime trying. I'll admit to making fish a rarity for a while, but I didn't do it for the infamy."

"Than why did you do it?" He looked at her, an unbearable amount of loneliness in his eyes.

"Because my wife had just kicked me out of her and my daughter's life, and eating always helped soothe my soul. I'm still working off the weight because no amount of eating could have made me feel better." Her eyebrows shot up.

"You were married and had a kitten?" He continued to look at her, his expression unreadable.

"No, not a kitten, although she was as cute as one." Haru absorbed this before her mind gave a mighty shudder. Sniffing beneath the fish smell that always stained his fur, she found his blood scent, and her mind reeled in shock. Baron noticed the similarity of their brown fur, and he gasped. Muta's nerve broke at the sound, and he nearly ripped the curtain out of the hinges in his eagerness to escape the red flames in the Cat-Demon's eyes.

"Oh no," Baron groaned as Haru ran out of the room to follow the terrified cat.

"Baron, what's going on?" Lune was a bit scared; he hadn't seen that look since she handed his father's dignity to him on a silver platter.

"I just remembered something Muta told me when he first came to work at the Bureau. We may want to stop Haru before she does something permanent to him."

"I don't get it; why would Big Sister want to hurt him if they're friends?" Baron gravely answered the princess.

"They're more than friends. I should have seen the truth immediately."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Muta!! You get back here!!" Every one in the castle looks up, knowing too well who was shouting. As the stamping of feet came closer, all the cats fled to keep out of Haru's sight and out of her way as she stormed past, her eyes on fire as she hunted down the large white cat. He could hear her screams, and jumped out of the courtyard to escape her notice, but failed. He tried to run outside the gates, but she pounced on his back and forced his face into the soft ground. Parents turned their children's eyes away as the more religious ones began to pray for Muta's soul. Baron and the royal family didn't have to see what was happening as they ran to the white cat's aid. They could hear Haru long before she came into view.

"Why didn't you say anything?!!" She yelled as she held one paw behind his back, her comrades appearing through the entry to witness the proceedings. "You even heard me say that I would like to know! Were you ashamed that I turned into a bloodthirsty military figure?!" Muta managed to work free from her grasp and faced the demon-cat.

"How could I be ashamed of any girl of mine that could turn a kingdom upside down and force a king into renouncing his throne by mere intimidation when it wasn't even the goal? I'm proud of you, Chicky!"

"Then why didn't you say anything?" Her voice had lost several octaves, and she was beating softly on his enormous belly, tears streaming down her face.

"I didn't want to ruin your reputation-" She looked up at him fiercely.

"Forget my reputation!! Everyone here would agree that my being the daughter of Renaldo Moon would explain a lot, and they all think I'm a demon anyway!! I've wanted to know my father all my life, and now that you're here, you wanted to deny me the opportunity to know the real you?! You jerk!! You big fat jerk!!" Muta was about to protest again that she was why he had gained all the unnecessary weight, but decided to hug her for the first time in years as she cried into his fur. If Haru had been anyone else, the pressure Muta was exerting would have killed her. But being his daughter, she could handle it and squeeze back. "Those fish crackers were from you, weren't they?" Her voice had lost its savagery, now so soft that Muta could barely hear. He tried to rub the tears from her face, only to have them replaced by an endless salty flood.

"Just because I couldn't talk to you didn't mean I couldn't spoil you when I had the chances. Your love for those crackers meant that a part of you was still my sweet little girl. I felt so terrible, finding out that they were why you were taken here, like me." She looked up into his face.

"What happened?"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

"I wasn't lying when I said I used to hang around a fancy restaurant," Muta began, the small group back in the king's study. Everyone had gotten worried over hearing that Renaldo Moon, the Cat-Demon's father, had been living with them for half a month, but were comforted by the king as he pointed out that Muta hadn't tried an encore of his last appearance, and was willing to hear him out. Haru was gripping his arm, while Baron held onto her other hand, rubbing his glove against hers. "I did neglect to mention that I was head of the meat department, fish being my specialty. I would often experiment with recipes on the job or at home, but I preferred at home, where my loving wife and child would taste-test everything I made and give honest opinions about them." He smiled fondly at his daughter.

"My Haru was a lot like Lune's at the time, a bouncing ball of sunshine. For the longest time, she honestly thought that Sunday was really called Daddy's Day; because that was the one day of the week I could spend completely with her and Naoko, my wife. They would always urge me to make salmon pancakes for breakfast, just so they could see how high I could flip them. Being easily persuaded by both of them, we spent many afternoons cleaning batter off of the ceiling, but we were happy." His voice began to shake, sweet memories coming back to life through his words. "One day, when Haru was only two years old, a cat sneaked into my kitchen at the restaurant and stole a prize mackerel that would have been dissected to make a mean enchilada base. I naturally got angry and chased the cat outside, just to try and kick it or something, since I wasn't too fond of cats at the time. I got the shock of my life when the cat ran through a portal, and I wasn't coordinated enough to dodge it, since I was running too fast."

"Turns out that the cat was a king, and his pregnant wife had expressed a deep desire for mackerel, so he had paid my restaurant a visit, knowing that we only accept the freshest and finest fish. Being a husband and father, I forgave him. He said that if I wanted, I was free to hang around for a while, and to jump through the tower portal when I wanted to go home. I accepted, and decided to take a short nap, since it was so peaceful here. When I woke up, I noticed that I had begun to turn into a cat. After being told that I could go back to my life if I went through the portal before the human world's sunrise, I made a run for it. I had a much later start than Haru did, and obviously didn't make it in time to keep more than my human lifespan. Back then, the exit came out at the Cat's Paw Lakes, and Naoko didn't recognize me in my new body when I came home. But when she heard my voice saying things that only her husband would know coming from a cat, she went kind of crazy. She started to deny that she even had a husband, and insisted that she had been raising Haru on her own. That hurt, but not as much as when she refused to let me even kiss my little girl goodbye." This train of thought made him squeeze Haru around the shoulders again, with her contently purring.

"Since I couldn't think of anything better to do, I returned to the Cat Kingdom. Food had always been a comfort when I was feeling bad, so I ate a fish. Then it was two, which became three. No matter how much fish was consumed, I was still dying to hold my daughter, and it was tearing me up inside. I eventually left the Cat Kingdom, since my new neighbors had started complaining that I was taking all their food, so I returned to the human world and wandered around until I met Baron. I guess you could call me his first client." The attention shifted to the cat figurine, who was smiling a bit sadly.

"Muta never mentioned his daughter's name, and he described her pretty much like the princess is now, so I think I can be excused for not recognizing Haru as the adorable little girl with pig-tails that he had described, although I think that she's adorable now. He didn't feel like he deserved his own name anymore and wouldn't say it, so I started calling him Muta." The large white cat resumed the story.

"Baron offered me a place at the Bureau, and I kept an eye on Haru as she continued to grow until the week she disappeared. The police were baffled at a strange scroll in her desk and finding a schoolbag with her nametag on a deserted monorail car. I searched for months, not telling Baron since it wasn't his business. I even went to Naoko, but she refused to acknowledge that I was still around, let alone trying to bring her daughter home. Eventually even I gave up and thought Haru was dead." He looked at his daughter, several years of grief evident on his face.

"When Baron got the call from the Cat King for help, I thought it was the same one that had brought me here, and I didn't want anything to do with him. Baron eventually convinced me to come, and then I saw you. I _knew_ you were my daughter, even before Lune here confirmed it by saying your full name out loud. Admittedly, I had difficulty comprehending that the sweet little girl that used to catch fireflies with me had become a feared and respected war hero. I was still struggling with a way to tell you who I really was when I heard that my real name had exploded into infamy. Chicky, you looked pretty happy with your life as a cat. I didn't want to ruin your reputation as a general, so I hoped to keep it from you until I knew if you shared your mother's temperament about your father. I could have told you years ago that you have her lungs, but I just felt too guilty to say anything about it after hearing about the fish-crackers." Haru laughed, a hint of sadness taking the edge off.

"Knowing that she kept all of you from me growing up makes me feel less guilty about leaving cat-related details of my life out of the letters. You being my dad would explain why you get concerned over my well-being and possible boyfriends. For the record, I'm keeping this one." She had linked her arm with Baron's again, and Muta sighed.

"So much for my attempts to keep you a little girl. Mind if I borrow yours, Lune?"

"Nah, they act like sisters anyway. By the way, I'm absolving all charges against you, just for sharing your daughter and story with us."

"Can I call you Uncle Muta?" The princess had abandoned her father's lap for the storyteller's. He laughed and scratched behind her ears, a purr echoing through the room.

"Sure thing, kid." Lune turned to Natori, who had tears streaming down his face, but was trying to disguise them with his long sleeves.

"Does that cover all your objections about Muta?" The robed cat nodded.

"And then some. I'll get started on my part of the plan." He exited to do as he promised. Haru suddenly got sidetracked.

"Hey, Baron? How did you do the thing with the lights?" Muta looked over sharply.

"You didn't."

"I did, and _she_ happened to like it." He smiled warmly at the cat-woman, who started snuggling next to him. "All Creations, besides being immortal and fast-healing, have a special gift. I've already told you Toto's power was communicating with other birds when we were discussing possible forms of attack. Mine is manipulating lights, which can make a pretty impressive light show."

"He likes to do it for all his clients," Muta muttered.

"True, but the one I did for Haru was a bit more spectacular than the ones for clients," Baron said as he ran one hand through her glossy hair again, his arm around her shoulder. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this content, and yet excited. Now that the misunderstanding with Muta had been cleared up, it shouldn't take much more to take out Artemis, and perhaps end his career as a bachelor. He had never felt the desire to do so before meeting Haru, but since then, it has become the foremost thought in his mind.

He was aware that even with her as a half-cat, there will still be barriers, but he didn't feel the need to explore that area right now, with his beloved still reeling from the shock of gaining a father and sweetheart in the same day. Luckily, the two weren't in the same package. Haru wrapped her arms around his chest and sighed happily. What barriers was he thinking about again?


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Artemis confidently walked up to the castle gates, and the confused guards immediately opened up for him. He gave them a curt nod and headed straight for the training grounds, where Haru was certain to be. He couldn't really believe that she was paying attention to a living wooden doll over him, and wanted to see it proven false. Normally, people would get panicked at a rebel leader inside the castle grounds, but no one raised an alarm. And he knew that no one would until it was too late. He climbed a bordering tree and hid in the foliage as he scanned the grounds.

There she was, with that infuriating cat, The Baron. They were practicing with staffs, and Artemis renewed his vow to burn that unladylike military uniform. His queen _will_ be attired as one, not a barbarian. His sensitive ears could pick up their conversation as they attacked each other.

"Just tell me when you want to stop, Haru." His mysterious benefactor was right; the accent was too distinct for him to copy. The new friend still hadn't taken off the dark cloak that shrouded his appearance, but Artemis was willing to accommodate anyone that would help him conquer the Demon-Cat. The throne would just be icing on a cake at this point.

"Not on your life; I'm almost a month out of practice, and I have a huge list of things to do to Lune's cousin when we meet again." She wouldn't even say his name?

"We could just turn him over to Muta; he's been talking about getting you material for a new pair of boots."

"Made from _his_ hide? I'd never wear them." That comment nearly made the rebel drop out of the tree, his heart stinging from the rebuke. The Baron gave a wicked smile and knocked her staff away with his in one swoop, sending both several yards away and barely missing two guards. Without missing a beat, he grabbed her by the hand and waist and started to waltz with her. She giggled as her other hand rested on his shoulder.

"Baron! We're supposed to be training!" Despite her protests, she didn't really seem irritated as they began to twirl around the other sparring partners, all of them stopping to watch. One guard turned to his partner.

"Are we supposed to do what they are?" The guards were getting skeptical about their instructors' unique teaching methods. Haru just giggled again at the question, her smiling face locked on the Baron's.

Artemis struggled to suppress his growl. So she _was _lying to him that first meeting; her movements were smooth and graceful underneath her partner's guidance. He spun her around, listening to a silent melody which no one else but Haru could hear.

"I _knew_ you weren't as bad as you said." She had told him the same thing? Was it part of a test? If he had known that…

"It's been years, so maybe I was just waiting." The Baron cocked his head at her.

"For what?" Haru blushed and smiled at him again.

"The right partner." Artemis stared in shock and denial as the object of his affection lay her head on the doll's chest in contentment. Why is it the only times he could see her relaxed and happy was when she didn't know he was there? If she would just give him a chance, he could make her far happier than _Humbert_ ever could. What could she see in a guy with a name like _Humbert_ anyway? His friend had made it clear what Haru's future would be if she chose the cat figurine and Artemis was fully prepared to do everything in his power to prevent that future. Reaching into his pocket, he uncorked the grenade.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Baron was leading Haru through a dip when a loud bang suddenly distracted them. Looking toward the southern gate, smoke had begun to billow between the towers. A second later, a second one appeared at the northern gate. Baron and Haru looked at each other regretfully.

"We will have to continue this later." He said sadly. She pulled a face.

"These rain checks are getting annoying." He let her up, and one of the guards quickly tossed them their staffs. "Guards with red tape on the staffs follow Baron, ones with blue follow me!" The group split smoothly into separate directions. Haru led her half to the southern exit to find several guards already stationed there, trying to find the source of the smoke. After a few minutes, one guard pulled out the remains of a grenade.

"A smoke bomb?" Haru whispered. To distract them from what?

"General." One of the guards pointed at something behind her, so she turned. Baron was walking up to them at a fast pace, a slightly angry look on his face.

"How's the northern entrance looking?" He didn't answer her, but she wasn't surprised. The guards stepped back to let the white-suited cat through, and he held out his arms to Haru, not slowing as the feet separating them became inches.

No one expected the general to swiftly take a step back from Baron's incoming face and swing her fist into it with enough force to make him fall to the ground two yards back from where he was standing.

"General?!"

"Relax, Jin." The guards were completely clueless to what she was doing. Walking up to the fallen cat, Haru slammed her foot down on his chest. He cried out in pain, which made the guards more suspicious. The doll never cried out before, even when she did something like this. "You are such a moron." The general's tone had lost all of the previous laughter. "Did you really think that I couldn't tell the difference between you and Baron?"

"Chicky, what are you doing?" Muta had come running, looking as confused as the guards. "Did you get into a fight with your boyfriend?"

"Of course not, Dad; Baron and I are still going strong. But the worm I'm stepping on isn't Baron. The cat behind you is." He turned around, and was shocked that Baron was running toward them, a small group of guards hot on his heels. He slowed on reaching them, stunned to see a duplicate of himself underneath his beloved's boot.

"Haru?" She smiled at him, as full of love as ever. The look faded as she shifted her gaze to the double.

"If you will take careful notice of the real Baron's clothes, the suit jacket and pants are actually a very light gray, while the fake is wearing white." The guards looked at both Barons, and found that she was correct. "And the fake smells like a dirty old cat, while Baron smells like tea and wood. Even if this imposter had gotten the disguise right, I would have known that he wasn't my Baron, since he would never try to walk up and kiss me the way this cat had just tried." She stomped on him again, something shattering underneath her foot. The imposter's clothes wavered like ripples in a pond, then faded away to reveal a stunned Artemis. A broken talisman around his neck revealed the secret of his disguise.

"No kidding. I would at least have the manners to say something first." Baron had walked up next to her, a huge smile on his face. "Hello, Haru." She grinned back at him, guessing where his thoughts were leading. She released her foot from the fallen cat, who was seized by several guards and raised to his feet to fully witness what was unfolding.

"Hello Baron." A few seconds pass.

"Does that cover the formality?" His teasing smile made her giggle.

"I'll call it good." Without further hesitation, he gently gripped her shoulders and pulled her close as she laid her hands on his chest. The rebel leader began to go under convulsions under the death grip of the guards as lips met. Baron and Haru didn't hear him, being a little preoccupied. Artemis struggled to break free, but the green cats weren't letting him go. Tears began to stream from his mismatched eyes.

"Why?" He asked, his voice and accent ultimately betraying him, and the couple reluctantly broke off the kiss to look at him. "Why him…and not me?" Haru glared at him, eyes full of contempt.

"Which reason do you want; the summary or the novel?" He didn't answer her, his eyes becoming huge and lost. "Let's compare and contrast; your idea of a good first impression is using your tongue to kiss my hand, Baron's is jumping out of a third-story window and attacking me with a cane. You insult the people I respect the most, and Baron comes to their aid, although he didn't know them at first. You are willing to turn the kingdom into a ghost one to shove a shiny metal hat onto my head after I specifically told you I never wanted one. Baron not only listens to me, but even likes to argue, just so we can talk more."

"I take it this is Lune's so-called cousin?" Muta glared coldly at the imposter, who still wasn't moving. He grimly smiled. He addressed the general.

"But I can give you one thing that Baron can never accomplish."

"I already said I don't want a crown." He shook his head at her.

"I was talking about children."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Note; if you carefully look at Baron's attire in the movie, it actually _is_ a light gray. Just a little thing to note.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Baron released Haru and slammed his fist into the imposter's face. The guards released him, since the orange cat had one hand firmly around the rebel's throat. The green cats ran to retrieve the king and queen for the judgment of their kinsmen.

"How would you know about something that delicate?" The black cat glared at him.

"You may be able to eat and breathe like a real cat, but you were born from wood. You could never father Haru's children. But I could."

"No, you couldn't." Haru stood next to her beloved, glaring again at the cat that had caused so much pain. "You could never have fathered my children, because I never would have chosen you. You could never, and I do mean never, fulfill my requirement."

"For crying out loud, just what is the requirement?!" Artemis demanded, his voice turning shrill. Haru managed a snicker.

"To change my mind about staying single. Baron's the only one to have ever done that, so he's the one for me." Her sweetheart cocked his head at her, amused.

"That was seriously it?"

"Yes. I knew people would think I'd try to go for a hard task or something, so I thought that one would cover everything I wanted my companion to have." Baron grinned at her lovingly.

"That was very tricky." Her eyes softened, taking in his face.

"Why thank you."

"Don't you get it?!" Artemis was struggling again, his face contorted in fury. "If you choose Baron, you'll never be a mother, and he will look exactly the same when you're an old cat." She shook her head at him, disgusted.

"Haven't you ever heard of adoption? And if Baron can handle my body when it's scarred and ugly, he'll be able to handle when it's lined with gray."

"Your body's not ugly," Baron and Artemis said in sync, glaring at each other. Haru ignored them, remembering her manners.

"Oh, how rude of me." She faced Muta. "Introductions are in order. Baron, Artemis; you two obviously know who each other are. Dad, this is Artemis, the cat you've wanted to meet for a while. Artemis, this is my father, Renaldo Moon." Every joint in the dark cat's body froze, and his mouth opened in horror. Muta grinned evilly at him.

"I hear you've been giving my daughter a hard time. I think your hide would match her military uniform nicely."

"Dad, I refuse to wear him, it's just too creepy." The large cat looked a little disappointed.

"Well, what about a new throw rug? That way you could take him outside and beat him whenever he gets dirty or you get irritated." Baron actually purred.

"Why don't we talk about that?" Haru decided to intervene at this point, although she liked the throw-rug idea.

"Sorry guys, he goes to the king first; Artemis has committed high treason. I'm sure Lune would love to hear about your ideas though."

"Yes, I would." Lune was approaching with the guards. Artemis broke out of his trance and uttered something intangible. The rebel dissolved like a puff of smoke between Baron's fingers, even as the king drew near.

"What happened? Where did he go?" The cat doll looked at the king, a storm in his eyes.

"I don't know, but he left before we could conclude our conversation." He turned back to Haru, deep concern in his eyes. "I could see from the other side of the grounds that he was coming in too fast for you to notice the suit color. How were you certain he wasn't me?" Haru looked deep into his eyes and took a steadying breath.

"I was warned, by a voice."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Artemis reappeared in a dark tent, his breath unsteady from the twin blows of the demon cat and her lover. His heart ached more from the sorrow than the physical pain. She already knew what her life would be like with Baron, and she still wanted him. It was much easier to handle her rebukes when he thought she was playing hard to get. But this new cat in her life…

"I take it you were unsuccessful?" A shadowy figure sat in the corner of the tent, his tone unsurprised. Artemis didn't bother with a civil tone, still lost in pain.

"If I was successful, I'd be standing here with a paralyzed Haru and demanding that you perform the ceremony that doesn't require the bride's consent!" The figure stood up unsteadily.

"I had hoped that you would be the wild card to throw off the Demon-Cat, but I'm disappointed that you aren't. Luckily, I have two back-up plans." That caught the black cat's attention.

"Really? What are they?" The figure chuckled.

"Unfortunately, neither of the plans concern you. You have played out your part, and you failed. Now you're useless to my cause."

"Cause? Are you after the throne too?" The robed cat snorted dismissively.

"Please. Why would I want a fancy chair?" He began to glide toward the injured cat, who backed against the tent wall in fear. A sickly green paw slid from underneath the robe. "I simply wish to prevent the foolish girl from making the biggest mistake of my master's life, even if I must cut hers short to prevent the future she's planning. I _will_ need your body though."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Another voice, Chicky? Are you suffering from insanity or something?"

"Dad, if telling you what I've been up to for the past six years isn't enough to convince you I'm imbalanced, nothing will." Baron had wrapped his arms around her, to confirm that she was still here, still his.

"When did you hear this voice?" She wrapped her arms around his chest.

"During my last cat nap. He left a calling card so that I would know it wasn't a dream."

"Where is it?" Blushing slightly, Haru reluctantly stepped out of Baron's embrace and pulled off her military jacket to reveal a white tunic similar to her first. She then pulled one sleeve past her elbow, revealing an arm free from scars.

"Whoa!" Muta took a step back and stared as Baron carefully examined her arm.

"All of them are gone. He took my entire collection." Leaning his face close to the smooth fur, he sniffed carefully, disbelieving the faint scent he found.

"Cedar? Haru, you'd best tell the whole story."

"Inside." The king's voice had a note of finality to it, since the scene had attracted the attention of the entire castle.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Settling down in the king's study, Haru told what happened.

"I had just drifted off to sleep when a shadow covers the window, throwing the room into near darkness. I started feeling around for a weapon when a hand touched mine." She looked at her boy friend. "At first, I thought it was you, and the voice was very similar. He said that he wasn't Baron, but he _was _here to help me. He pulled the covers back over me and took a gently firm grip on my arm before I felt a stinging, like he was injecting something into my body. Naturally, I tried to resist, but I started falling back asleep so hard that I couldn't resist. The voice said that I would forgive him for this someday, and that if Baron tried to kiss me without speaking first after I woke up, I should hit him with everything I got." Her love cocked his head at her.

"Except you knew I'd never do that." At least while he was still courting her.

"That's what I told him, and he told me to think about it while I slept. When I woke up, I noticed that all my scars were gone, and the faint smell of cedar was there. That's why I was wearing my perfume today; I wanted everyone to think that nothing changed until after the attempt." The orange cat wrapped his arms around her.

"That would explain why you seemed edgy earlier." Baron tilted his head back, and stared at the ceiling. "Somehow, he transferred Creation blood into you. Mine, by the new scent, except I have never bled enough for anyone to collect it, and it should have killed you." Haru shrugged.

"I guess he diluted it with something. But why would he want me to be part Creation?" Baron was silent for a moment, and then grinned.

"Maybe he's trying to tell me to get a move on. Would the rest of you kindly excuse us?" Without waiting for a reply, he took Haru by the hand and swiftly led her out of the room, down the hallway, and into the vacant ballroom before closing the curtain behind them firmly.

P.S. I stole the throw rug idea from Disney's The Lion King. It was too good to resist throwing in.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

"I'm getting the feeling that you don't want to discuss battle plans." Haru was a little turned on by his insistent manner, but was a bit surprised at the slightly sad look on Baron's face when he turned to face her.

"Actually, I do. Just a different kind than what you discuss with Lune. I've thought about what Artemis said." She pulled a face, her heart turning into lead in her chest.

"If you try to dump me on the grounds he presented, you are aware I will hunt you down until you take me back, right?" He smiled fondly at her, but still looked sad.

"I'm aware you would, but isn't that what you want? To have a husband that will age with you and children that are yours?" She rolled her eyes.

"I also wanted to return to a life that made me miserable just because I knew what each day would bring. Living here has shown me that what I want isn't always what I get, at least immediately." She raised one hand to stroke his cheek. "Baron, if my children can't be yours, then I don't want them. I figured you would even prefer to adopt, since you love to help others. I've thought for years that Sweet Pea would be the closest thing I would ever have to a daughter, so I'm used to the idea. I would rather spend the rest of my days with you than with someone like Artemis and have children blanketing the carpet. I do want to be a mother, but I'm willing to take what I can get to keep you in my life. Just because my mom couldn't handle the barriers between her and Dad doesn't mean I'll make the same mistake. I love you, Baron."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with all the passion in her soul. He wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed, the fireworks inside him spiraling out of control, making the surrounding windows flash brightly with his happiness. After a few minutes, he managed to gain the control to gently push her a few inches away to ask one last question.

"I love you too, Haru. And if that's how you feel, will you consider spending a lifetime with me, and face whatever is thrown at us for the rest of our time together as husband and wife?" She nodded happily and laid her head on his chest. She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder, thrilled that he was finally popping the question.

"Now _that_ was a marriage proposal."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I can't hear; did she say yes?" Natoru was firmly pressed against the wall next to the curtain, trying to pass on the private conversation to all the cats gathered in the hallway. The assembly included everyone from the scullery cats to the king, who was struggling to get them to leave.

"If she does, we'll find out soon enough; we can at least give them a little privacy." He would have been a bit more convincing if one of his ears wasn't cocked toward the curtain. The princess was sitting on Muta's shoulder.

"Uncle Muta, I just thought of something."

"What?" He cocked one ear to her, but kept the other to the curtain.

"If Big Sister was like me at my age, does that mean that I'll be like her when I grow up?" All the cats immediately lost interest on Baron and Haru, terrified at the kitten's suggestion. Some even fainted from the idea.

"Oh, no. Two of them. My infirmary won't be able to handle two Harus," Polo groaned.

"What will happen with a Demon-Cat on the throne?" One serving maid asked another.

"You don't have to worry about that." The general had just opened the curtain, one arm linked with Baron's. Everyone stiffened with horror, expecting her to do something violent. "I grew up without a father's guidance, and the princess has a father and uncle to help her, so she probably will end up differently than me." A sigh of relief from the majority of the cats made the air in the hallway warm and damp. They even forgot to be scared about eavesdropping on the most private conversation of her life.

"But I _want_ to be like you." Haru grinned at her namesake and took her from Muta's shoulder to embrace her.

"That's flattering Sweet Pea, but I'm still not training you until your father says you're ready for politics."

"Same thing, different theme." Lune had recovered from the shock of possibly raising a demon-cat to be queen. "Are you going to spill?"

"What? You mean you couldn't hear what we were saying?" Baron smiled amusedly while the assembly struggled not to make a scene.

"No, you were talking too soft." Yuki's eyes were locked on Haru's, which were twinkling brighter than ever.

"Baron wanted to know if I prefer tea with a citrus taste or if I went for mint." Every one falls over while she and the cat doll laugh their heads off.

"That was just plain mean." Little Haru was pouting terribly. "Are you gonna marry him or not?"

"I am." Thrilled at finally having a solid answer, the hallway exploded into applause, which gradually spread to the rest of the castle as the news spread.

"Lin, you owe me five trout!"

"No, she isn't hitched yet!"

"That wasn't the bet!"

"Was too!" Haru shook her head at the chaos.

"Do you guys have anything better to do than eavesdrop on my love life? We are still in a state of war; who's keeping watch?" This made the hallway traffic dissolve away until the happy couple and royal family were alone with the giant white cat.

"It so figures that I get my daughter back just in time to give her away." Muta was actually close to crying.

"At least you'll still be able to see me afterwards. I don't know how I'll explain to Mom why she can't come to my wedding. After the enemy is taken down, of course."

"Why not tell her? There may come a point when she'll need to know." Baron had never approved of what Haru was keeping from her.

"Uh, Baron, you heard what she did when she found out that Dad grew a tail and whiskers."

"There_ is_ a chance that she's changed since he left." She scoffed as he wrapped his arms around her again.

"Doubt it. When I wrote about you and Muta, she started warning me about how unreliable cooks are and not to get attached to one. She also thinks that you only like the way I look." He chuckled.

"If I only liked your looks, we would spend less time talking."

"That's what I told her." She sagged over in defeat in his strong arms. "But you're right; I shouldn't lie to her the way she did to me. I'll visit her after Artemis is taken down. Lune, Dad had a really good idea for him, which involves a throw rug-"

"The enemy is approaching!" A guard from one of the higher towers called out the warning, and everyone ran into their pre-chosen spots.

"Hold that thought, Haru; I'll need it later." Lune kissed his wife and child before they were escorted to the war shelter. Baron and Haru grabbed a few more weapons each from the emergency stashes that the general had placed around the castle.

"Is Toto coming?" Haru slipped an evil-looking dagger down the side of each boot while Baron slipped on a scabbard.

"Yes, although he's wondering why I'm so happy about a mass invasion." He grinned at her. "I didn't tell him about our engagement yet."

"There will be time for proper introductions later. With luck, this will be over soon enough." Baron's eyes became determined.

"It will have to be, since I refuse to take a rain check on our future."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Reaching one of the higher towers, Haru and Baron could see the opposing army blanketing the countryside like a large shadow. There seemed to be no end to the black and red cats, all standing erect with weapons held ready.

"Are you sure that this will work, Haru?" The king was thinking of his family, who would be slaughtered if they failed.

"One thing's certain; we will do what we can. I'm afraid I can't make promises on a battle's outcome." She finished tying her braid around her arm.

"I've got you, Renaldo Moon, and the Cat Bureau's assistance, and that's the best you can give me?!"

"I'm afraid so." At that moment, an eruption of darkness burst from the portal tower's top and surrounded the castle before settling on the ground, the guards running towards the birds.

"Baron! I've got the backup!" The leading crow perched on the wall next to him before staring at Haru.

"You must be Toto! It's nice to finally meet you!" She stuck out a hand, which Toto greeted with a wing, still staring.

"Greetings; you must be the real reason Baron stayed so long. Are you another Creation?" Baron grinned and wrapped one arm around her.

"She is now. Toto, this is Haru; Muta's daughter, the Cat King's war general, and my fiancé." The dark bird nearly fell off his perch.

"He said his daughter was a little human girl!" Haru shrugged.

"I used to be, but it's been a while. Can we focus on the battle?" Toto was still shaking his head at her.

"You're the mastermind behind this attack? You must take after your mother, because I'm not seeing the resemblance with your father."

"Watch it, Bird brain!" Muta had just come up, his face grimacing at seeing his old enemy. "I still owe you for dropping me down a tower, and your feathers will do nicely!" Baron caught them before the fight could get good.

"Can you two say hi later? There is an approaching army out there." Haru was studying the crows that were assembling in the training grounds, each one taking one cat on its back.

"Did Natori finish his assignment?" Lune answered her.

"Yes, each of the guards has what you requested. Are you sure about going this drastic?"

"They're asking for it, so we better give it to them." Baron was climbing on top of Toto, and reached down a hand to pull Haru up. She settled comfortably behind him and wrapped her arms around Baron's chest.

"Shall we?" Toto turned his head to look at his passengers, who nodded. He took off, which signaled the other crows to do the same, their passengers hanging on for dear life.

"This is actually kind of fun," Haru commented as she scanned the army for a specific cat.

"It is, isn't it?" Baron tried to keep his mind away from her touch and on the army below.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Haru Yoshioka!" A single shout got their attention, and they focused on the middle of the army, where the soldiers had cleared a circle around Artemis and something covered by a dark cloak. Toto kept his distance, but Haru shouted back.

"What?!"

"We need to come to an agreement!"

"Over my dead body!" Even from this high up, Haru could see a disgustingly smug smile on her would-be suitor's face.

"Yours isn't necessary!" With that, he tore the cloak, revealing an old human woman, her red hair streaked with gray, bound and gagged. Even with her eyes covered, Haru could not mistake her.

"Toto, please fly down."

"Are you nuts?"

"Possibly, but at least I could try to save my mother."

"That's her?"

"Yes, and if you don't fly down, I'll jump."

"Please go down Toto; she'll do it if she needs to." Baron didn't doubt that Haru would turn down Artemis again, but having her mother down there would complicate things. Toto finally swooped gracefully down, and Haru only had to jump about ten feet to hit the ground as the crow sailed back up.

'_Call us when you need help.'_ Haru didn't bother to answer her fiancé, her eyes for the woman squatting on the ground.

"This is lower than I thought even you would go. Kidnapping a girl's mother to get her to look twice at you?" The red-haired woman's head shot up, recognizing her daughter's voice.

"Actually, my mind is past that. I have a different offer for you." Haru's eyes widened slightly, not recognizing the voice coming from the rebel.

"I'm not talking to Artemis, am I?" He seemed pleased that she could tell.

"No, but I thought you'd be more comfortable talking to a face you knew."

"What happened to the original?"

"Why do you care? You've never made your contempt for him private."

"He has a number of things to answer for." He gave a sickening chuckle.

"I'm afraid he's outside your reach. This is his body, but the soul is long gone." Haru frowned. There goes the throw rug idea.

"Then why go through all this trouble to talk to me?" He seemed impatient to get on with business.

"Very simple. I'm here to offer you the chance to return to your old life." Her mother gasped through the gag, Haru not quite sure what he had just said.

"Excuse me?"

"I believe I didn't stutter. My terms are simple; return to your ordinary life. Finish school, get a job, get married to a nice young man, and raise a few kids. Forget that the Cat Kingdom ever existed, and it will continue to exist." Haru's mother had scrunched up her eyebrows, trying to understand the talk.

"What future could I possibly have in the human world? I'm a high school dropout who can't account for the past six years of her life without getting carted off to a loony bin." The Artemis impersonator slid a dagger out of its sheath and rested it against the human's throat. She went as still as death, fear holding her in place.

"I thought I was also clear that your mother would be the first to die if you refuse. What's currently around us is just a fragment of the forces I can summon. Everyone you love in this kingdom will die within hours if you choose to stay a cat." Her mother gasped through her gag. "Do you really want to be the cause of death for thousands?" His voice had turned coaxing. "You could have a fresh start as a human; you wouldn't have to take orders from kings, or be a babysitter for royal kittens. Choose death or life for everyone you love, including yourself."

Haru wasn't expecting a decision like this. Looking into the sky, she could tell that Baron and Toto had heard every word as they circled above, the crows from the castle fast approaching with the cat army. She looked at her bound mother, who was desperately nodding her head around the blade on her throat, encouraging her to accept the offer. She looked at the castle that had been her partial home for over half a decade. She looked down at her hand, and pictured it hairless like the human hand it used to be. It would be so easy. She could reconnect with Hiromi, and now that her mother knew about the truth, perhaps she would open up about her father.

Her father. He had been crying over giving his little girl away hours after getting her back after two decades of separation. If she accepted, he wouldn't be able to give her away at her wedding without being laughed at. Her eyes steeled with determination. Like she would ever have a wedding without Baron as her groom. She faced the body of Artemis, the cat inside it waiting for her verdict.

"I am prepared to die for my friends. The only way _you're_ going to have a chance to survive this battle is if you release my mother immediately to me. If she dies, then you'll soon follow her." His jaw dropped, and her mother was too surprised to gasp. The enemy cat gave a snort of disgust.

"Kill her!" The surrounding soldiers moved in to do his bidding, and Haru shifted into a fighting stance, ready to take them all down.

Except they weren't coming. Their arms were raised with spears, and their legs were in position to run at her, but they wouldn't. It was like someone had pressed a pause button on them.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Haru shook her head, in case it was a day dream, but everything was still solidly in place. Toto wasn't beating his wings in the sky above her, and Baron was just standing up, probably to jump down and fight by her side. She glanced at the cat holding a blade to her mother's throat, and was surprised to see that she was breathing slowly underneath the unmoving steel blade. Carefully moving her way in between the soldier statues, she worked her way to her mother and took the knife from the imposter to cut the bonds.

"I'm sorry that you got caught up in cat politics, Mom. I guess this explains why I never visit you." As soon as the hands were free, the captive human ripped the blindfold off to look at her long-lost daughter. Her eyes widened at the pointed ears at the top of her girl's head, and the split lip with whiskers sprouting from each side of her nose. Haru pulled her to her feet. "I don't know how long this time lapse will last, so we need to get you out of here pronto." Her mother shook off her grip.

"Wait a second, young lady. Were you really going to let him kill me?"

"For the greater good and I would have stopped him anyway." Her mother looked at her quizzically.

"Since when can you fight?"

"Since I first came here. We should hurry-" her mother cut her off with tearing eyes.

"You could have come home. I never got rid of your things." Haru shook her head, smiling sadly.

"I have a previous engagement." The red-haired woman's eyes narrowed.

"You were going to let me die so you could marry a cat?"

"A cat figurine, but there was more to consider than that."

"Why didn't you tell me you're a cat?!" If everyone could hear the outburst, they would fully understand where the war general got her powerful lungs from.

"Considering what you did when Dad tried to tell you, I think you have no room to talk." Her face paled.

"You've…met him?"

"Yes. Now I understand why you never encouraged my pancake flipping abilities. Since you never breathed a word about his existence, I don't feel the need to apologize for keeping my new species a secret. Everything else in my letters was truthful, though."

"How could you_ prefer_ to have whiskers over a human life?" Haru turned to face her mother, her impatience growing.

"Mom, if you think a human life is so grand, then you should head for the castle over there. There's a tower surrounded by rubble inside the gates, which you can get through by saying you're my mother if time starts up again. At the top is the portal to the human world; see if you can get a crow to help you fly down before you return to human height." Her mother shook her head.

"Are you even my daughter? She would never disobey me like this. She would do as she's told and come home." The general's eyes turned steely.

"So you prefer to have a spineless daughter that does your bidding than a respected one who earned her place in the world? I have fought hard to gain what I have, and my fiancé had just convinced me to tell you the truth about my life before that cat called me out." Untying her braid from her arm, she held out the end to her mother. "I let this grow out to say that I was still part human." She forced her mother to grab the end of it, and gripped the blade she had stolen. "But since the only part of me you like is human, you can take it back with you." She then swiftly swiped the blade around the base of her neck, shearing off the braid that had taken six years to the day to grow out. Her mother gasped and stepped back, her hand still gripping the silken rope. The remaining hair unbraided itself and fell around Haru's face, somewhat softening her angry features.

"If you want to keep writing, I'll keep the connections up, but it is truly best that you leave before you turn into a cat too. Or time unfreezes." Her mother stared at her, but then dropped the braid, and turned to maneuver her way around the army to the palace. As Haru looked at her sheared hair on the ground, she knew that her mother wouldn't be writing any time soon.

Turning to face the cat that irrevocably broke her relationship with her mother, she lifted the blade. Before she realized it, she was falling against Baron on top of Toto, the dagger missing from her grasp. He stumbled and nearly fell off, astonished to see her appear behind him.

"Haru? Weren't you just down there?" She looked down to see the enemy now charging for the dark rope of her hair on the ground where she should have been. They stopped, and looked around, confused.

"Man, I heard she was good, but _this _is unbelievable." Toto almost fell out of the sky at her sudden weight, and to an extent, understood Baron's infatuation with the girl.

"I got helped." Baron looked past the forlorn expression to her new haircut.

"Haru, what happened?" He ran one hand through her chocolate strands, and she was glad to have left enough hair for him to do that.

"Suffice it to say, I don't think Mom will be writing anymore." His eyes saddened, and he squeezed her gently while she returned the embrace. Through the corner of her eye, she could spot two more crows heading toward them, one carrying the king on his back and the other dangling her father from his claws. Down below, the thing wearing Artemis's body fell over himself, his captive and weapon gone without a trace. He looked around angrily, and scowled at seeing her in the air. When he screamed, it wasn't at her though.

"The game ends here, Jonathan! I know that your mother's not the one than can manipulate time!" Lune and Muta joined them, confusion on their faces.

"Who's Jonathan?" The king was a bit confused.

"Don't look at me; unless my parents are hiding another secret." Haru pointedly looked at her father, who blushed.

"Not unless your mother cheated on me, Chicky." They turned their attention to the screaming cat below them, and were amazed when another cat stepped into the newly remade circle from thin air. He looked yellowish, but his head was a vibrant shade of red underneath a hat matching the rest of him.

Haru's heart froze. He was wearing a top hat, and the yellow color wasn't from fur. It came from a crisp suit. And she knew that shade of red all too well. The cat faced the Artemis body and stared coolly.

"Weren't you ever told it's impolite to harm a lady?" She recognnized that voice and accent. Baron turned sharply to her as she began to hyperventilate.

"Haru, is that the one who warned you?" She managed a nod, the other dots clicking together.

"I thought you said I could never have children with you!" Baron blushed, also connecting the dots.

"Because I thought you couldn't." They both turned to look at the battle below, the two main cats glaring at each other.

"How low. You don't even have the courage to face me. You have to threaten innocent women that aren't involved." The Artemis double scowled.

"If I had been smarter, I would have just killed her without pleasantries."

"I doubt Father would have let you do that. He's always been protective of Mother." Muta stared at Baron and Haru, who were both sporting a rosy blush. The red cat below held out his hand to the side, and a matching hand came from thin air, passing him a sword as the impersonator grabbed one from a soldier.

"Can I assume you took out my master's time machine?"

"You can." The suited cat lifted the sword and positioned himself into a fighting stance. His opponent did the same.

"So I'm on my own?"

"Afraid so." They stared at each other for a few seconds. The thing wearing Artemis lunged at the red cat, Jonathan, who smoothly sidestepped around the attack. That initiated a fast-paced duel that lasted for maybe ten minutes. The only ones that could truly see what was happening were Toto and Baron, Haru being a lesser degree. Everyone could clearly see the ending, though. Jonathan and the cat unblurred, clearly forming a sword through Artemis's chest, and he shriveled underneath the blade like a burning piece of paper, forever killing the half-dead soul within. Around them, the soldiers wavered like a pool's surface, and then disappeared. Toto and the other birds flew down to greet their new hero. Baron and Haru jump off of the crow twenty feet from the ground and walk up to their future. Jonathan seemed a bit tired, but not enough to make him forget his manners.

"I believe I should introduce myself. I am Jonathan Renaldo von Gikkingen, firstborn of the Baron and Baroness von Gikkingen. Or at least I will be." He smirked at the blush on his parents' faces.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Haru shook her head to clear her thoughts and took a step closer to the red cat.

"If you're my son, you know what I want." He grinned happily.

"Yes, Mother." He wrapped her in a crushing hug while she purred. Even his embrace felt like Baron's. She managed to give a thumbs-up to her fiancé.

"Okay, he's ours." Baron was shaking his head, still disbelieving.

"Except…he can't be." Jonathan released his mother to smile at him.

"As things currently stand, I won't be unless you decide I can."

"Excuse me?" Jonathan glanced at Muta and Lune, who were standing a little farther away with the army, now wondering what to do.

"We never even got to use the glue bombs!" One of the soldiers complained.

"I wanted to see the army try to lick it off their fur!" Another one started pouting.

"Perhaps everyone would be more comfortable if we returned to the palace. I promise to explain what I can." Jonathan gestured toward the stone masterpiece, and all the cats marched toward it while the crows returned to the portal tower.

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When Yuki and Little Haru were led out of the shelter, they were surprised to find two Barons again.

"What did you do to your hair, Haru? Man, they _really_ messed up this time. Even I can tell which one's the real Baron."

"Oh no Yuki; this is Jonathan. Mine and Baron's future son." The tiny princess looked up at the red cat, unable to take her eyes off him in shock and wonder.

"Now that everyone's comfortable, could you please explain what just happened?" The king was losing his patience.

"Of course Uncle Lune." He jumped at the new title as Jonathan placed his hat aside. "To start off with, the cat inside Artemis was a servant of a powerful enemy of mine. You don't need to know the details, since it isn't your fight. I can assure that he won't be bothering the Cat Kingdom for at least the two decades it will take me to grow into maturity." He glanced slyly at his parents, still holding hands. "I suppose it could be considered flattering that some cat hates me enough to try to prevent my parents getting together. Although I must admit to interfering a little."

"What do you mean?" Haru leaned forward slightly to devote her entire attention.

"I'm the one behind the China job." Muta burst out of his seat.

"You?!" His claws were coming out again, and the familiar glint was back in his eye.

"Please sit down, Grandfather. I had my reasons." Stunned at the new title, he did as instructed. "Thank you. You were right, Mother. If Father had been able to help you six years ago, you _would_ be living an ordinary boring human life. You never would have seen Aunt Yuki again, and would have never met Sweet Pea." He glanced at the small kitten on the queen's lap, who widened her eyes at the idea. "Your real name's a good one, but Mother's name for you sticks a little too well. Good thing you've always been fond of it." Haru was still digesting this information.

"But if Baron had rescued me back then, I probably would have fallen for him before he said goodbye, being an innocent schoolgirl." Baron grinned and wrapped his arm around her. Jonathan nodded in agreement.

"He would have fallen for you too. But he wouldn't have said anything more about it than admiring a young woman that spoke from the heart." Baron nearly fell over in disbelief. That's seriously all he would have said to her? "After you would have gotten back, you would have set your life in order. You would have been on time for each class, not sleep in once, and even have Machida after you." The general slapped her forehead.

"_That_ was the boy's name! I had forgotten what I ever saw in him."

"You know what's funnier? You wouldn't have cared by then. Mother, you never would have seen Father again, and you would have spent the rest of your life alone, since no human could ever compare to him." She smiled sadly and tightened her grip on her fiancé.

"I believe it. Would Dad have come clean?" Jonathan laughed.

"Not a chance. He was even gruff with you, so that you wouldn't suspect. He didn't want you to be ashamed of being the daughter of a fatso cat." She glared at her father, who looked a little too guilty to deny his grandson's words. "Father, you were never good at denying Mother something she truly wanted. You would have helped her, give an offer of assistance if she ever needed it again, and left her alone. You wanted her to be happy, so you never would have disturbed her again, since you thought her crush on you would fade with time. If you had been with her when she called, I never would have been able to manipulate her and the guards' speed so that she would come out just in time to keep exactly what she did without raising suspicion. Isn't the way things turned out now much preferable to what could have happened?" Baron grinned and gripped his son's shoulder.

"Much more. Thanks for interfering." Lune thought of something else.

"What about the rebellion?" Jonathan looked at him sadly.

"It still would have happened, but you would have been killed at your coronation from the assassin that Mother wouldn't have been around to stop. Artemis would have forced Aunt Yuki to marry him to solidify his claim to the throne, and gotten rid of Sweet Pea in an 'accident'." The horrified queen tightened her grip on her daughter as the king did the same to her. Haru remembered something.

"Jonathan, what was the stuff you injected into me?" He grinned at her.

"My blood." Her eyes widened again.

"Excuse me?"

"You want a future with Father, right? You even said that you would like to be a mother, and in the future I come from, you're deliriously happy with the way your life turned out." He faced his father. "I know the rules about Creations not being able to have offspring, but in order for it to happen; I had to inject my blood into Mother…and you." Baron gave him a weary look.

"Why is that?" Jonathan gave his father an intense look.

"Under ordinary circumstances, Creation blood can kill a mortal, since it's full of magical properties, but since I'm half mortal and already carry her DNA, it just made Mother part Creation. Think about it, Father; a mortal with a trace of Creation blood, and a Creation with a trace of mortal blood. That would provide the balance needed for you two to have children. There are some side-effects." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small syringe, already filled with a dark red substance. "Mother's are a bit more obvious; she gains the ability to heal as quick as a Creation, can talk to them using telepathy, and will lengthen her lifespan by at least a century. I'm glad she learns to like the new hair style, because she stopped aging when my blood fully activated." Baron looked at Haru and grinned at her until she blushed. Jonathan just rolled his eyes and shook his head at the obvious flirting. "Even now…" The older cat doll shifted his gaze to his son.

"What will be my side effects?"

"Well, besides becoming a father, you'll have to get used to eating for energy instead of entertainment, you would have to sleep occasionally, and you will eventually die with Mother. I obviously won't force you to take the injection-" Baron was already unbuttoning a sleeve and rolling it up, Haru holding his jacket. He held out the bare arm to Jonathan and smiled sadly.

"Like I would feel like living forever after she's gone." His son smiled, and took a firm grip on the offered arm. Yuki buried her daughter's face against her fur as Baron winced once, the pain worth the future he now knew he had with Haru.

"You'll fall asleep while the dose is taking affect. To be honest, I wouldn't protest against you two getting married before someone else comes from the future and tries to kill one of you again." Baron was snoozing on his future wife's lap before their son had finished his sentence. She had a blissful smile on her face.

"Thank you, Jonathan. I'm proud of you already." He brightened at her words, and then became distracted by a paw tugging on his coattails. Looking down, he saw it was Princess Haru.

"Will I grow up like Big Sister?" He smiled fondly at her and placed her on his lap while Yuki and Lune watched, an unexplained fear in their hearts.

"You will have similarities with my mother, but you will be your own person. Your parents will not have to worry when you take the throne. You'll make everyone that loves you proud." She smiled happily and embraced his neck. He stiffened, obviously embarrassed at having memories of her older than him, and gently wrapped his arms around her while sending nervous smiles to her parents. Lune and Yuki looked on with a dawning horror. Muta started laughing his head off, realizing what was going on. Jonathan sheepishly unwrapped the princess from his neck and set her down. "I should probably head back. You tend to get irritated with me if I'm gone too long." Muta chuckled evilly.

"Gee, I wonder why." The king and queen glared at the white cat while Jonathan put his top hat back on.

"Two more things before you go, Jonathan." He turned to face his mother.

"You are aware that I can't give you many more details concerning the future, right?" She laughed.

"These couldn't hurt. If you have any complaints about your name, speak now or forever hold your peace." He grinned at her.

"I like my name, but thanks for the thought."

"Good. Earlier, you said you were our firstborn, so how many-" He cut her off by kissing her forehead.

"After all the surprises I've already spoiled for you and Father, I wouldn't dream of spoiling more." He stepped back from the furniture and raised one hand to his hat as he looked fondly at the group in front of him. "Until we meet again." He leaned down slightly, and jumped into the air, twirling as he disappeared. It was ten seconds after his departure before the next word was spoken.

"He's so _cool_." Little Haru had star lights in her eyes, and her parents looked worriedly at each other as Muta's laughter continued. Haru couldn't hear it; her attention focused on that of her future husband's sleeping face, and the bright future ahead of them.

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Lots of love to; Drifting One, Deerdryad, Watersoul the Head Star Walker, Wanderer D, EarthGuardian, Uplifted, Ellelome, KatchuuH, Lost-Remembrance, and Thundercat for their kind, thoughtful (and funny) reviews. I appreciate the pats on the back and encouragement. You guys rock!


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